The Pact
by Nightmouse ninja
Summary: Bella's mother made a pact during her second trimester. Now Bella has to live through the consequences. These consequences include being treated like a servant by her master, Victoria, and her favourite toy...Edward. Lucky for her, right! R&R please! :
1. Not In This Hell

**Not in this Hell**

The day that decided the fate of Isabella Marie Swan occured three months before her birth. Isabella Marie Swan was born with a deadly pact, one that controlled the process of her life. When Renee Swan found out she was pregnat, she became depressed. To counter the depression, Renee turned to an evangelical church to help with coping methods. Renee was soon disappointed by the lack of support in the church for a single mother. When Renee Swan was six months pregnant with Isabella, a mob of 'true Christians' burst into her home and beat her until she was unconscious. While she was unconscious, she had a terrible vision. Unable to control her extreme anexity, she went into a state of shock that was severely dangerous for Isabella. However, Renee stabalized, and with her, the baby. The pregnancy continued as normal. Isabella Swan was born at Forks General Hospital on September 13, 1986 at 6:12 p.m. The night she was born, Renee had another vision. This one was extensively more terrifying, and caused her to attempt to suffocate Isabella. It took four physicans, one psychotherapist, and two sedatives to get Renee away from Isabella, who was then put into adoptive care in hopes that a mentally stable family could care for her.

Isabella was in luck, and by the time she was six months old, she was living with a permanant family, the Blacks. She had an older brother named Jacob Black and two younger sisters, Rebecca and Rachel. Her adoptive father was named William, but everyone called him Billy. The Black family lived on the Quileute reservation outside of Forks, Washington. Bella never knew her birth mother. Billy's wife died suddenly when Bella was four years old. Mrs. Black had fallen ill with pneumonia and her immune system was unable to fight it off. When Bella was five, Jacob ran away from home. Billy spent countless hours looking for him in the woods and on the beach, and even had Rebecca, Rachel, and Bella help. Bella found him, sitting in the cave that overlooked the ocean cliffs, asleep with one arm around a huge, furry animal. According to Jacob, the animal was a wolf named Sam.

But, on Isabella's sixth birthday, as she blew out the candles on the Barbie birthday cake, she was taken by a fiendish creature, who dwelled in the very depths of evil. And this is where the story begins.

The devil is a woman. She has thick, curly, red hair and deep gold eyes. She's the most seductive creature on the planet, and her skin glows when she captures a prize. And her playtoy is absolutely perfect... physically at least. He had bright green eyes, pale skin, and bronze hair that never looked anything less than disheveled. However, Bella only saw him in the presence of Victoria, the devil herself, and at that... hardly ever saw his face. In fact, the only time she can remember seeing him completely was when she was twelve years old and had snuck out of her room in hopes of escaping this hell.

_-Flashback-_

_Bella had been planning this escape for five years, ever since she had seen Rodriguez open the black doors and got a glimpse of the outside world. It looked absolutely intoxicating: lush, green, and speckled with yellow and pink and white. And it smelled far better than her chambers. The wild flowers were potent in the outside world. Bella packed her few belongings- her books, her music cassettes, and a change of clothes in a small, makeshift knapsack and tossed it on her back. When she heard Victoria's suble giggling sighs, she decided to make her way to the door. She did not have to say goodbye to anybody, she had refrained from making friends. Instead, she had avoided everyone around her in hopes that nobody would notice her absense. __She shoved the large door that led to the main hall open, and, quietly as possible, slid down the hallway to the main door... the one that led to the outside world. _

_The air smelt like the roses were scattered aimlessly throughout the garden. It was black as night, though it was only mid-afternoon according to Bella's small watch. It was five fifty-six in the evening, not nearly time for it to be dark. Instead of being thrown off by the blackness, Bella embraced it and ran as quickly as possible toward the main gates. _

_The harsh tongue of a flame grazed Bella's left arm, and she turned in surprise to see what had caused it. In the middle of the bright fire was a large figure. Bella cowered inwardly, but didn't run. A fire-walker could catch up with her. As the flames subsided, the figure became more pronounced. It was Victoria's playtoy. His flame bronze hair retained the glowing fire-like quality and his eyes, now that Bella was looking for it, had a sparkeling gleam to them, a common physical quality to fire-walkers. Their eyes, not only unique in colour or shape, also possessed fire-like features. Victoria, though she hid it well, was obsessed with fire-walkers. She was half fire-walker herself, on her mother's side, and she could retain fire-walker abilities if she was the sole mate of three fire-walkers. Victoria paid her toys well, to say the least._

_"What do we have here?" the playtoy said in a voice laced with curiosity. Bella held her tongue. The blonde playtoy of Victoria's -her primary playtoy- was very hostile and hated being talked to by mere humans. "Now, now, answer me, little girl." the bronze haired toy came up to Bella and pulled her chin so he could look into her brown eyes. "Such fierce eyes." he whispered. Then he cleared his throat and said, "Come, com, now. Speak to me little girl. What is your name?" Bella wrenched her chin free of his grasp and broke into a run for the gate. However, she was clumsy and he was a fire-walker. Bella fell before she'd taken ten steps and he was next to her as if she'd never moved in the first place. Her grabbed her arm urgently._

_"Tell me your name, damn it! I can't protect you if unless I know your name!" _

_"She'll kill me either way, eventually." Bella hissed. _

_"Wouldn't you rather live?" the toy asked her. She shook her head._

_"Not in this hell." she said. He laughed._

_"I'm sure you would prefer the one upstairs?" he got up and started walking away. Then he turned, and looked directly into Bella's eyes. Flames engulfed the immediate area surrounding him, causing a stark silhoutte. His eyes, however, danced in the firelight and smoldered Bella entirely. "Your name." he called._

_"Bella." she whispered. He smiled and shouted his own name back to her, before turning and stepping casually into the flames, and disappeared._

_End Flashback_

It was five years later and Bella had aged into a regular seventeen year old. However, Edward Cullen, Victoria's new favourite playtoy, beautiful bronze haired being, and fully-blooded fire-walker, had not aged an hour past eighteen for the last three centuries, and was standing in front of Bella with Victoria. His eyes flashed with recognition as he studied Bella. He smiled at her and winked.

"Victoria, darling." he said, keeping his eyes fixed with Bella's.

"What?" Victoria snapped. Edward bent down and started kissing her neck and sucking on her earlobe. He did, however, keep his flaming eyes on Bella's face, who found it impossible to turn away from his unyielding gaze. Victoria moaned audibly. A smirk showed on Edward's features.

"Perhaps you could appoint one of the humas to court duties. It might not be so bad to have a couple of humans on staff- don't you think?" Victoria's head tilted back and she was making indistinguishable sounds in the back of her throat. "Victoria?" Edward finally borke eye contact with Bella to look at Victoria. She sighed.

"Whatever, Edward." she muttered and her hands wound into his hair and pulled his lips back to her throat.

"Excellant." he said, and he managed to get himself released. "Bella," he turned to Bella, but did not make eye contact with her. "Come with me and I'll get you settled into your new home." With that, he broke all physical contact with Victoria and strode off quickly, not checking that Bella would follow him. Of course, she was stumbling after him as fast as possible.

**End Chapter.**

Kay, guys, what did you think? Should I keep going or stop here? Who wants to know who the blonde playtoy of Victoria's is? haha, Review, please! It would totally make my day!! love ya!


	2. Silent Suffering

**Silent Suffering**

Edward had ignored Bella for seven days after he talked Victoria into letting her become part of court. She hadn't pushed him at all; in fact, she tried to avoid him at all costs. She wasn't really interested in why he had done such a thing and then decided he didn't want her in his presence. Every day, he would come back from Victoria looking tired and worn, and he'd lie down on the couch in the main room and snap his fingers for a glass of water. Bella would bring it to him, stumbling and sopping half of hit on her as she approached. Though he never hit her, Edward Cullen was very intimidating. Even when he wasn't looking at Bella, she could still remember the intensity of his gaze as he was kissing Victoria's neck.

Edward strolled in, looking as tired and beaten as ever, and collapsed on the iron rod couch in the middle of the sitting room. He snapped his fingers wearily, and Bella came to his side, a glass of water already in her hand. She was a quick learner; it wasn't that she wanted to impress him with already having his daily drink in hand before he even asked for it. He took the drink from her shaking fingers and gulped it down in one swift movement. Then he turned his head minutely, until he was looking directly at Bella. His gaze was curious and mildly entertained as he kept eye contact with Bella. However, it was as intense as ever, if not more smoldering than Bella had ever experienced. The emerald eyes danced as if they were looking into a fire, and Bella found she was getting very warm and slightly dizzy. She looked away and took a deep drag of the cold air. The reward was a subtle chuckle. With that, Bella quickly got up and walked out of the room, to her own chambers. She closed the door quietly and then flung herself on her bed, cowering in the plush covers. She felt tears leaking out of her eyes, and she couldn't imagine why. There was nothing that Edward had done to her to warrant this negative feeling. Perhaps she was just PMS-ing, she reasoned with herself. That was a probable cause for her sudden emotional state.

It didn't escape her notice, however, that she had never suffered through something as mundane as PMS in her entire life prior to becoming a servant of Edward Cullen. But, she had felt down before. In times such as these, when she felt alone and selfish, Bella turned to her favourite thing in the world. Her diary.

She had started stealing paper to make a diary on her thirteenth birthday, and every once in awhile, she would hide under her bed and write on the pristine sheets. Bella bound the sheets together with solid rope that she had braided herself in the dead of night. She pulled the stack of paper out from under her bed and started flipping through it, trying to find a blank sheet that she could write on. She finished flipping through it and realized that she had been writing in it much more often the past week than she had in the past four years. Slightly unnerved by the amount of recent writing, she paused to scan through it. The number of times that Edward made an appearance was nearly ridiculous.

"Day 1: I really don't know what is happening. I really hope that I am not dreaming. He has just asked Victoria to allow me to become a servant of court. His court. What does that mean? I've never been more than a paid debt to Victoria, and she never allowed me to be around her toys… what could have changed her mind? Of course, it might be that he tricked her into it, all the kissing her neck and ear, she probably didn't know what she was saying yes to. She was probably all lustrous and not paying attention to the words coming out of his mouth, only registering the tenor of his questions. Not that they had a tenor or anything, not that I noticed, anyway… I wouldn't know. He never talks to me and the last time I saw him was when I was twelve. He probably doesn't remember that, and I'd do best to forget it myself. Whatever. He probably just smelled a human and had been thinking about adopting one as a servant anyway. I doubt he really cares if it's me or some other human. I was probably just in the opportune place at an opportune time is all… of course, it's not like I care or anything. Why should I care if he likes me or remembers me? I'm just a stupid human and he's a fire-walker. Fire-walkers don't remember humans for any positive reasons… for the human at least. I should just put it out of my mind."

"Day 2: Edward Cullen is really getting on my nerves. He comes into the room after fooling around with that stupid whore, Victoria, and then he plops on the couch and snaps his fingers. And then I have to come and bring him a bloody glass of water. He's a flipping fire-walker! Why would a fire-walker want water? I doubt he really drinks it, just holds it in his mouth until I'm not there and then spits it out. Otherwise, wouldn't the fire part of the fire-walker get smoldered and then he wouldn't be a bloody fire-walker…? I've never heard of a flipping fire-walker that liked water. Perhaps he's only an impostor; he's not really a fire-walker at all. I doubt he could stomach the water if he was. He probably just wants to sleep with Victoria, and the only way to do that is to pretend to be a fire-walker. I don't get it. How can he look at me like he did yesterday and then ignore me completely today? What is up with that???"

"Day 3: I hate Edward Cullen."

Day 4 was missing. Day 5 had a drawing, a very elementary style one. It had two figures, one tall and one shorter. The tall one was encased in fire and the shorter one was encased in water. Neither figure had any other facial expression other than eyes. The tall one had watery blue eyes and the shorter one had fiery eyes.

Day 5 had the date and a "Day 5" inscribed on the top of a blank page. Bella looked at it, unable to distinguish her feelings about Day 5. It had been a frustrating day, Edward Cullen had not even come into the chamber, had not sat down on the couch and taken the glass of water. His absence was unmarked, because Bella hoped it never happened again, and she had been very afraid during the time he was gone. Bella had thought that he had abandoned her to be left to Victoria. And if Victoria knew that she was staying with Edward, consciously at least, Bella doubted very much that she would be able to keep her head, even as a departing gift. At around eleven o'clock, when Edward had not yet showed up to the chambers, Bella assumed the worst and took cover under Edward's bed. She doubted that Victoria would look in Edward's room, since Edward had been more than accommodating: providing Bella with a large room, an infinite supply of clothes and other material products, a large bed and dresser, a night lamp, and many books to fill her days with reading. The entire night was spent under Edward's bed, wide awake, ears perked for any sound of Victoria in a rage. Victoria never came and the next morning, Edward returned to the chambers in the evening to find Bella crying under his bed. He didn't do anything about it, just pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve, gave it to her, picked her up, and carried her to her room.

Due to Edward's act of kindness, Bella found herself fighting internally. This was the third time that someone had been nice to her since she came to this place, and it was easy for her to dwell on the particular experiences. First, there was the time when he didn't kill her, or beat her, or even harm her when she was twelve and tried to escape. Then there was the time that he convinced Victoria to let Bella become part of the court. Or rather, his servant. And lastly, there was Day 5, when he carried her to her room in such a gentleman manner that it left Bella unnerved.

Even though there were kind things about Edward, it was very difficult for Bella to make up her mind about him. One second he was kind, but for the majority of the time he was a real ass to her. She couldn't help but dwell on the negatives of Edward Cullen as well. He held her in captivity, and every slave hates their master by principle. He didn't speak to her at all. He hadn't even looked at her in seven days, since he was gazing at Victoria, except for earlier that evening. And even that was a master looking at a servant. He didn't see her as more than property. He was sleeping with Victoria. Uncannily, that was the one that broke Bella's heart the most. She thought she could stand it if he never looked at her, or never spoke to her, or even if he saw her as less than even a human… if he would just not sleep with Victoria, all of that might be forgiven.

**End Chapter.**

**A/N: **Sorry these chapters are kind of short. I hope they pack a lot of punch in them though… I'm trying to keep interest in this story… let's see what happens, shall we? I'm thinking of doing Edward's story next, take a break from Bella... but I'm not really sure, lol. She's kind of not going anywhere right now. Don't worry, I have an outline and an idea for where this story is going, and soon it will get good. Or at least even better than this. Thanks for reading, guys! Review, it makes my day a happy day!! (:


	3. Day Four

**Day Four**

**Author's Note: **Right guys. I told you last chapter that this would probably be in Edward's perspective. And it is. I just wanted to give you a little heads up since the rest of the story is not currently in Edward's perspective. So... yeah. I'll have a longer note at the end of the chapter, don't worry. I've got some questions for you guys'es. (:

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I had spent hours in Tanya's room. We were currently fighting as I wanted to leave... and she didn't want me to go just yet. Tanya had never really understood that I wasn't that interested in her. I would have felt bad, if I had a conscience that actually worked. I knew that sleeping with her for a wing of the household and access to everything in the household I could ever want was wrong... but she paid me well enough to keep me on. Besides, she needed me. Or at least, that was what I had been able to convince myself after the first three years of our relationship.

At first I had been very wary about our arrangement. My services in exchange for whatever I wanted in the world. Frankly, I didn't understand her interest in me in the beginning. I had never been considered one of exceptional beauty or grace when I was a member of the clan in northern Europe. I was simply a creature of fire, nothing special or unique in the clan of fire-walkers. The real beauty of our masculine clan was Emmett, the dark, curly haired one that was at least twice my size and ten times more powerful than I could ever be.

After another time, I got up from the couch and quickly retrieved my belongings that were strewn about the floor.

"Come back to me." Victoria's bubble popping voice whined. I was facing away from her so I didn't bother not rolling my eyes.

"I've got to go." I said, not looking up from a rather difficult button on my shirt.

"No, you don't." she said. I heard rustling of sheets so I tried to hurry my movements discreetly. No dice. Her claw-like nails dug into the back collar of my shirt and tore. The fabric split cleanly against her hands. I moaned in annoyance. I did like the colour green.

"You... are going... to... come... back... to bed." Victoria said breathlessly against my back between open mouth kisses that she was leaving against my skin.

"I need to go, Victoria." I said, annoyed. She stopped kissing my back and turned me around.

"What are you running off to, Edward?" she hissed. I looked away. She didn't need to know everything that I thought. "Edward Anthony Masen." she said, pulling my chin around so I couldn't avoid her gaze. "I asked you a question." Each word was punctuated and crisp.

"I need to look after my charge." I said quietly. It was a realistic excuse. I didn't need to tell Victoria that Bella was capable of taking care of herself, much more competent than the average human girl.

"Your charge?" Victoria's voice was silky smooth and soft. I stiffened immediately. That voice meant trouble of some unimaginable sort. "What charge?" she said in a similar tone.

"Isabella." I said nonchalantly, shrugging off the question. Victoria stared at me for a long time and then released me as if touching me was hurting her skin.

"Go then. I don't give a damn if you come back here tomorrow, either. You can just stay away until you learn where your priorities lie." she said, and then turned on her heel and flounced away. I paused for a moment, then strode out of her suite.

I didn't realize where I had wandered to until I came to a dead stop in front of the garden where I had first met Bella. She had been only twelve years old then, having been five years ago. I smiled at the memory. I always knew in my mind that she was exceptional. She had been my charge for only four days presently, this being the fifth, and I couldn't help but laugh to myself at the speed of which she had learned things in my chamber. The first time I had seen her, her eyes had lit up like fire, and I couldn't help but wonder for a small second if she was more than merely human. Of course, she had been only human and she would only ever be human. Not that moving up on the scale would be any better in her eyes. I had a feeling that she would never be able to stomach becoming anything more than human. There were ways, of course. But they were disturbing and quite pornographic. Bella didn't strike me as the sort to have anything with such horrors.

When Bella joined my court, I instantly gave her the best room in the chambers, the one that had a window overlooking the very garden where I stood. It was my favourite room because I could watch the grounds and imagine being away from this prison. I knew she would have the window open, she had left it open every evening since her arrival in my rooms. I think she enjoyed the way it smelled outside, and wanted to feel the breeze against her face every once in awhile. I didn't mind, I wasn't any sort of tyrant. It was merely the situation that drove me to such measures.

I glanced up at the open window, and watched as a small piece of paper flew out the window and spun high into the air. Not knowing what it was, but knowing that it came from my apartments, I jumped lightly and caught it in the breeze. Then I walked slowly to the middle of the garden, where the roses were the thickest.

_Day Four_ it read. _Today marks the fourth day that I've catered to that thick headed, bloody stupid fire-walker. 'Oh yes, well I can walk in fire and you are just a human so fetch me my water!' Good for you, Edward Masen!! I wonder what my parents were like. I remember a tall, dark haired man who is sitting down, holding twine or something in his hand and rolling the water over his fingers. I suppose that would be my father. Or maybe an older brother, an uncle, or a cousin... huh. I don't really know, then, do I? Oh well. _

_Edward Cullen has gotten back from his shenanigans with the great whore... I wonder if she does anything specific for him? Like, something that Jessica always spoke of when she would dream of Mike, the great whore's third and final lover. It's so intriguing how she gets her abilities to rule over us. Edward, her favourite toy MUST play with her and only her, and then James and Mike are the goonies that she toys with when she feels like Edward isn't enough for her. When would Edward not be enough, I wonder... And then she pays them all great sums of money. Edward got the wing of the prison, and James and Mike have lavish rooms and other privileges._

I started laughing out loud. Bella was certainly more intelligent than I had thought. And I was giving her a lot of salt for being a human. She was very intuitive. As I continued to read, certain sentences stood out to me.

_"Perhaps I'm being too obnoxious. I do that sometimes, I suppose." _

_"Edward doesn't really deserve to be put on such a level."_

_"He's got to be different."_

_"I just don't know what to think of Edward Masen."_

By the time I had gotten to the bottom of the page, and what I assumed to be the end of Day Four, the sun was rising in the clouds. I didn't stand. I couldn't move a muscle. Bella was smart. She was intuitive and very intelligent. But she was pulling me out of the group (or rather, the rest of the creatures here) and it was confusing her. She was born human, and in her early life she was certainly not privy to the pact that her mother made, and then at six years old, she was thrown into a completely different society. One, that by the human standards, should not exist. One where a human was worth less than dirt and a soul of innocence was scorned. And yet, at seventeen years old, there was no doubt in my mind that Isabella Swan was purely human with an innocent soul.

-

When I finally reached my senses, I tucked the piece of paper into my pants pocket and sped back to my wing. I was filled with a sense of urgency that I had never felt before. I knew that it had something to do with Victoria being angry with me about Bella. The likely thing she would do would be to take her frustration with me out on Bella. When I stormed though the door, Bella was nowhere in sight. I looked around desperately. The front room was tidy, and on the table in front of the couch was a glass of water. I went to her room. The bed was made, nothing was out of order. Her scent was stale, like she hadn't slept in her room last night. I cursed myself silently for not coming straight back to my wing. Victoria had probably taken Bella in my absence. I was about to leave the chamber when I heard a muffled sob. It came from the slightly larger, though less lavish room that was adjacent to Bella's. My room. I didn't think to check there.

Afraid of what I might find, I cautiously opened the door and looked around warily. Bella's foot was sticking out from underneath my bed. I chuckled silently to myself and sighed audibly. I was so glad to find her safe and away from harm. I tugged on her visible foot until she was completely out from under my bed. Then I pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. When her face was mopped up, I pulled her up from the floor and carried her to her room. Then I turned on my heel and walked away. I tried to ignore the spark of a flame I had felt in my abdomen. I walked over to the couch and downed the glass of water in one movement.

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**Author's Note: **Alrighty guys, what do you think? Did I answer any questions or just make a bunch more? Yes, I know the story is going kind of slow... but I'm trying this new thing where I build plot. I hope the whole plot idea makes this story a lot better than the others I've done. Anyway, I decided that I was going to try and get my readers to have more of a say in the story. So I will have a question every chapter about where the story is going and what should happen. And then, the most popular answer (or if it's a this or that question, the answer that gets the most votes) will find its way into the story!! So, like, you could become part of my story. Isn't that awesome? You have such powers, lol... Okay, so here's the question:

**Whose past is the most important to this story- as of right now and to you readers, which is the most important for you to know?  
A. Bella  
B. Edward  
C. Victoria  
**


	4. Unwritten Boundaries

**Unwritten Boundaries**

**Author's Note: **Back to the present! Okay, guys I did something kind of silly in the last chapter. **Edward is a Cullen, not a Masen**. I'm so sorry for that. I was totally not thinking when I typed that out! So Edward Anthony Cullen, yes. Edward Anthony Masen... not so much. At least in this story. Sorry! Okay, this chapter is not (unfortunately) in Edward **Cullen**'s perspective. Darn. Oh yeah, I've been wondering if there's a way to help encourage you guys to review... I like to respond to the reviews, but I wonder if you guys would want little snippets of upcoming chapters in my review responses? Of course, I can only give the snippets to signed reviews, it stinks, I know... but yeah. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and the positive feedback, it's really making me happy. Keep it coming! lol, I like feeling happy... I've typed lol a lot in this author's note... so on with the story, right? Right. (:

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The first day at court could not have been worse for a certain Bella Swan. Since she was Edward's human charge, and he lacked exceptional taste in human attire, Bella was stuck with wearing her old gown, which was the most formal thing she owned. It had belonged to the human girl that Victoria had disposed of when she was found to be pregnant with a baby. Having affairs was against the code of rules for humans. So was falling in love. This was not heaven, as Victoria would often preach to them. This was where you came to atone your sins.

Humans had never been allowed at court before Bella, either. This made it that much worse for her, as she trailed in behind Edward Cullen (**a/n Cullen not Masen! lol)**, head bent in submission and feet shuffling. Her dress was old, worn, defeated in many places. It was fitting on a human outside of court. But in court, the dress, nor humans, had any place.

Bella kept to herself, trying her hardest to abstain from looking in anyone's eyes as she walked behind Edward to the high table. Here, she froze. It was forbidden that a human sit and eat with a non-human. Many non-humans actually preferred to keep humans out of sight while eating. The idea behind this was simple. Any creature was susceptible to violence while eating. All creatures are rendered vulnerable while consuming food, and therefore, it is preferable to keep oppressed humans, who have a streak of attacking oppressive non-humans, out of the way when the non-human is so susceptible to danger.

Edward, not aware of her sudden lack of movement, stepped up to the table and sat down. Only then did he realize that Bella was not next to him.

"Isabella." he said. She looked at him, eyes wide in question and, though she would never admit it, fear. Instead of answering, she started to shake, visibly. Edward sighed slightly and motioned for her to come over to him. When she didn't move, Edward got up and walked back to Bella, leaning over her.

"Bella, please come and sit with me. I'm sure you're hungry for some breakfast?" he whispered in her ear. After a moment, she nodded but didn't make any movement to walk toward the table. "Isabella," Edward started in a commanding voice. Bella was shaking almost violently now. "Look at me." he said quietly, but with authority. Bella met his gaze. For half a second it was master looking reprovingly at servant. Frustration at the slow pace, commanding superiority, indication of status and power... And when Edward was sure the court had lost interest in him and his human, he looked at Bella with a different gaze altogether. Soft kindness, slight humour, and even a small hint of respect painted his features, and his eyes bored into Bella's as he attempted to convince her that he would protect her at court. She was his, yes, but she was too curious a creature for him to possess by force. Edward looked at her with that conviction, and it dazzled her. A fire-walker gave his permission... no, even more, he requested that she dine with him.

Edward smiled at Bella and put his hand on the small of her back and guided her to the table, pulled out the chair directly to the right of himself, and nodded to her so she would sit down. After properly adjusting the chair, he sat down himself.

This display was unnoticed by almost everyone in the hall.

It did not, however, go unnoticed by Victoria.

"Edward, darling." Victoria greeted Edward as she threw a hostile glance at Bella, who seemed to stiffen at the sound of Victoria's voice.

"Victoria." Edward said, not looking up from the napkin that he was quickly engrossed with.

"I hope you are feeling better today than you were yesterday." Victoria said, leaning in so that only Edward and Bella could hear the next part. "I so do miss that thing you do with your hands." Bella looked as if she were to cry and Victoria leaned back in her chair, obviously happy with that particular outcome.

"I'm afraid, Victoria, that I am still feeling unwell. Perhaps a day resting would be best." Edward said loudly. Victoria looked stunned, but only for a moment.

"Edward Anthony Cullen, if you do not come to me after breakfast I swear to you I will make your life a living hell." she hissed at him. Edward looked at her for a long minute, and then stood and discarded his napkin.

"Interesting choice of words." he said, and strode out of the room, only just remembering to turn and call for Isabella to follow in a commanding voice. She followed quickly, wanting to avoid being with Victoria as much as possible.

They walked out to the garden where they had first met, a fact that was not unnoticed by either party. Eventually, Edward's hurried, angry pace slowed as his temper cooled. Bella had stumbled twice on the way out to the garden, and was glad for a decrease in speed so she could catch up safely. Bella took care to stay a couple of feet behind Edward as he walked through the garden, not wanting to impose on him at all. Though she would never tell him, she was a little afraid of his easy-flaring temper.

"I'd prefer if you walked beside me, rather than behind me, Bella." Edward said after a few minutes. He, however, did not change his moderate pace. Bella stumbled to keep up with him. When she was next to him, he spun around to face her. Edward and Bella stared at each other, both lost in the others gaze, for a full minute before Edward cleared his throat. Bella looked down at her feet.

"Thank you." he said, then started walking again.

He picked up a flower and brought it to his nose, inhaling. His eyes were closed, and Bella stared at him. He looked so peaceful in that instant. It was hard to imagine him for what he really was. In fact, the entire morning, he had been acting so different than how Bella would have assumed he acted. He wasn't haughty, or self-absorbed. In fact, he seemed rather pleasant and kind. Edward opened his eyes, caught Bella staring, and smirked.

"It's not polite to stare." Edward said. Bella flushed a deep red and looked away. She could hear a quiet chuckle, and her blush spread throughout her entire body.

"Bella." Edward said, his voice softer and void of humour. Bella looked up at him, the blush slowly fading. Edward was looking at her with a smoldering gaze, the fire was dancing in his eyes. He reached up slowly, and tucked the rose behind her ear. Then he smiled. "It's lighter than your face." he said, laughing outright. Bella blushed again and looked away. "Bella, look at me." Edward said softly. She did. His eyes were still dancing with fire, still smoldering, but there was indecision there as well. It confused Bella as much as it seemed to frustrate Edward. "Come on." he said suddenly, grabbing her hand and pulling her further into the garden quickly. Bella had no choice but to follow.

--

The next day Bella awoke with a start. She thought about the previous day, and all the things that she and Edward had talked about... and what they had not talked about. They both had avoided the subject of the popular situation at hand- Bella being a servant to Edward- and after a terse, awkward moment, the subject of Victoria had quickly been discarded and traded in for light, fluffy subjects. They talked about their favourite food, the best vegetables in the garden (which is what they decided to eat after Edward had so unceremoniously stormed out of the dining hall), and the most curious thing about butterflies. Edward didn't believe in them, while Bella stood firm and even had a story to provide to prove their existence.

_Flashback_

_The rain had stopped for one day. The sun, unusual guest it was, burned Bella's pale skin. It didn't bother the deep russet colour that covered Bella's older brother, Jacob. He often wandered in the woods, looking for interesting bugs and small critters to fill his pockets and imagination. Bella, however, had snuck out behind him. Jacob was allowed to play outside in the woods, but Bella was not. This was mainly because she had equilibrium problems on solid, man constructed surfaces. There was no way she would survive on rocky, uneven planes of the outdoors._

_Jacob jumped over the small stream and then crouched on the opposite bank, looking intently at a tadpole in the water. Bella stumbled after him. He didn't look up, the tadpole was much more interesting than his little sister. Bella attempted to jump over the small stream, but instead, she fell on her rear with a high-pitched "oomph!", splashing water all around. Before she could start crying, however, Jacob was by her side, picking her up out of the water and pulling her into a bear-hug._

_"There, there Bella. It'll be okay." he said as she sniffed quietly. When the snuffling continued, Jacob looked around the area to find something to distract Bella from the probable bruise that was forming on her behind. Then he spotted it._

_"Look at that Bella!" he said over-excitedly, acting a bit to convince Bella that it was the coolest thing in the world. Bella sniffed as she looked to where Jacob was pointing._

_"Wat's tat?" she asked. _

_"It's a magical creature." Jacob said. Bella stopped sniffing and looked intently at this magical creature._

_"Wat sort of magickal creetoore?" Bella said, entranced by the soft pattering of wings._

_"A Monarch Butterfly." Jacob announced. "Monarch, like a king or a queen. Bella, it's a royal butterfly! They use their magic powers to rule over the other butterflies, and to protect the other butterflies, to keep them from getting hurt by big scary monster animals." As Jacob explained what sort of magical creature it was, the butterfly fluttered over to Bella, who stretched her hand out. It landed on her pointed finger and walked up her arm. Bella giggled._

_"Tit tikkles." she said. It was a magnificent creature, it's wings were golden red, and orange, and black. Bella thought it was really beautiful, and looked like fire._

_End Flashback_

"Isabella Swan." a high pitched voice sneered. Bella instantly retracted into the recesses of the bedding. Bright red hair, pale skin, and cold eyes greeted her when she finally looked up to the sound of the voice.

"I think you know the rules. If you break them, I will make sure you disappear as soundlessly as Alice Whitlock. Remember her? She thought she fell in love. And I will do to you what I do to all of you stupid humans who fall in love. I will make you suffer. Edward can't protect you any more than Alice's lover could protect her. Besides, Edward wouldn't want to. He's in love with me. You are just a passing fling, and he'll do just that when he's through with you. Fling you aside and pass you by." Victoria turned and walked out of the room as quickly and silently as she had entered it.

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**Author's Note: **Haha, someone's jealous, huh? Cullen, not Masen! hehe. Okay guys, so last chapter I asked you all a question. Whose past is the most important, Victoria's, Edward's, or Bella's. This chapter the question is (drum-roll please, lol):

**What is your favourite memory to present date? Not favourite time of your life, or the best time or anything, but something that you like to remember, like to think back on and say, Oh that was so cool or nice or whatever... **I know, it doesn't have to do with the future of the story at all, but answer it anyway! I'm curious to get to know my readers a little bit! Okay, so I'll answer the question, to help you start thinking about your favourite memory.

My favourite memory to date was when I was four years old. It was Easter Sunday and it was also the first day that my imaginary friend, Riley, had ever existed. I had a huge crush on the boy in my Sunday school and I had been thinking about him all morning, as I was getting ready for church. Riley (my imaginary friend) and the members of my family (my parents and my older brother and sister) were teasing me about Christopher (the boy I liked) the entire way to church. My older sister and brother were doing the whole "Hannah and Christopher sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" and Riley found it entertaining, so he did it as well. And then I got to church and we had the Easter egg hunt. There was one that was out of both my and Riley's reach, so I (because Riley never did any of the dirty work) was jumping up to try and get it. Lo and behold, Christopher (who just happened to be just tall enough) reached up and got it for me. Now, I had been talking to Riley quite animatedly, so Christopher looked at me, handed me the egg and said "Here you go Hannah." then he turned to the general direction where Riley was and said, "Hi Riley, I'm Christopher." Riley blushed. So did I. And then I hugged Christopher and told him I loved him. And then I kissed him. That was my first kiss (his too) and it's a nice memory to pull out and dust off. lol.

Alrighty, go ahead, answer the question in a review and tell me what you think of the chapter as well! You can even comment on my favourite memory if you'd like... lol. Until next time!


	5. Confused

**Confusing**

**Author's Note: **Hi everyone! Thanks for all the positive feedback, again, it really makes my day! It really makes me want to stay with this story... knowing that people are reading it and want me to stay with it. I also know that there are a lot of questions about the characters and what exactly is a fire-walker and where exactly is Victoria's house and all of that... all of these things will become apparent in the rest of the story, so please please keep reading! I know you guys know that it's you that makes the story keep going, so it helps immensely when you guys review! Okay, author's note= far too long for such short chapters. I'll get on with the story now, because I'm sure most of you have already jumped the gun and are not reading this note. Right, less ramble, more story.

* * *

The next day, Edward left before Bella woke up. This didn't really bother her, she didn't think the day of happy oblivion would last longer than twenty four hours. So she herself got up, took a shower, ate breakfast, made her bed, cleaned the main area, and set out a glass of water on the table by the couch. And it was only seven in the morning.

For the next three hours, Bella entertained herself by counting the number of threads on Edward's bedsheets. The little tag on the sheets lied. The thread count was only a small fraction of that amount... or maybe she just lost interest after counting the small square at the top. It was hard to concentrate when she was quite so bored.

At eleven o'clock Edward stormed into the room. He looked angry. Bella stood up slowly to leave the room as he picked up the glass of water that was waiting for him. Her movement caught his attention, and he looked over at her. His eyes were stormy. Bella's stomach clenched.

"Screw it." Edward said, and he tossed the full glass of water to the side. The glass shattered on the floor. The water would warp the wood if it wasn't mopped up soon, Bella thought.

He was across the room in two swift strides, and he grabbed the back of Bella's neck and pulled her mouth to his furiously.

The kiss was not gentle. There was nothing but a sense of fierce urgency. Bella thought her legs were going to combust from the fire that was coursing through her veins. Her limbs felt jittery, and they were shaking violently in anticipation.

Bella whimpered as Edward ran his tongue along her bottom lip. He groaned. And at eleven-oh-two... Bella woke up.

What the hell? Bella thought. Why was she having ..._that_ sort of dream about Edward Cullen? She'd never had that kind of dream about anyone before in her entire life. Granted, she had never been in the presence of anyone quite as arousing as Edward Cullen in her entire life. But still... she thought.

The rest of the morning and a good part of the afternoon Bella spent sitting on the couch in the main room thinking about Edward Cullen. She couldn't make up her mind about him. She didn't know if she was in love with him or if she hated him. She thought about what Victoria had told him earlier, that he didn't see her as more than a passing fling. Did he do this to humans often? She honestly didn't doubt that, nor did she want to. It gave her a solid reason to hate him.

Edward walked in to the room in the late afternoon. He nodded to Bella and took off his jacket, hanging it on the coat rack that was positioned just inside the door. He strolled over to the couch, picked up the glass of water and took a long sip. Then he sat on the couch next to her and turned to her, water still in hand. Bella thought about him throwing it aside and grabbing her neck. It would be easier on the couch, sitting close as they were- not difficult like it had been last time, where Bella had been across the room.

She blushed deeply. There was no last time, Bella, she thought firmly. Put it out of your mind. She looked up to see that Edward was looking at her curiously. That only made her flush more.

"Why are you blushing?" Edward asked, reaching up with the hand that wasn't gripping the glass of water to run it along her cheek. His hands were surprisingly cool for a fire-walker, she thought.

"Why are your hands cold?" Bella asked him. He flinched at the question, pulling his hand back and setting it in his lap. His expression was suddenly guarded. "What?" Bella was honestly confused. She wracked her brain quickly, wondering if something happened that she didn't remember, something that would have caused her to commit a social faux pas. She came up blank.

"Nothing, Bella." Edward said dismissively. This frustrated Bella. Why did he have to talk like she was a servant? Well, Bella supposed she knew the answer to that. But he hadn't been treating her like a servant, except when there were other non-humans around. She even looked around, to see if someone had entered the room and she didn't notice. The room was empty except for Bella, Edward, and the thick amount of tension that had settled like a wide, winter blanket.

"Edward," Bella said. He didn't look at her, but she knew he was listening. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." her throat tightened at the end of the sentence, and she had to force the words out over the knot that had taken permanent residence there. Bella could feel the edges of her eyes prick with tears. She got up and darted out of the room. The last thing she wanted was for Edward Cullen to see her cry.

--

Though he couldn't see it, Edward knew that Bella was crying in her room. He was torn between going in to see her and just leaving the room altogether. He was a mix of emotions, though, and he didn't know if going to see Bella would be helpful for either of them. It might be a huge mistake, but he decided to leave.

Standing in the garden always cleared his head and allowed him to think properly. And so, it was no surprise to him when he ended up in the garden a few minutes later. Edward needed desperately to get a few things straight. He needed to think about everything without having outsiders- ie. Bella's sparkling eyes or Victoria's quick temperament- distracting him or swaying his conclusion.

The situation was complicated in itself: the arrangement with Victoria versus the natural attraction he felt for Bella. And if that blush meant anything... the way she felt about him.

Victoria was half fire-blood. And she was half human, though she would never admit to that. Her mother had been a fire-walker, and her father had been human. With women fire-bloods, they shared traits that many humans related to vampires. Full blood female fire-bloods have freezing skin except in the inferno of heat that was used primary for reproduction. Because of this, they were a natural draw to the fire-blood males, who, when needing to reproduce, had searing skin quite akin to a menopausal human. These flashes of flame upon the skin were only subdued when the process of reproduction was complete. In simple words, male fire-bloods had sex to cool off.

In the evolutionary patterns of fire-bloods, many males would hone their techniques they could offer to the females, and therefore, the reproductive activities became more of a recreational activity, and less of a mode of reproduction. Quite like humans.

Fire-bloods also had pale skin, striking eyes, and different talents based on their particular breed of fire.

Blue flame bloods often had unnatural abilities that included speed and supernatural talents, such as mind reading or telepathy. They were the most common form of fire blood.

Red flame bloods were temperamental, hostile, and very secretive. But they were also mainly the leaders of clans. This was because they had exceptional acting skills. They also showed trends of leadership qualities.

Gold flame bloods were the closest to human. They were considered to be watered down versions of blue flames, being quite fast and charismatic. However, only gold flame bloods could fall in love.

Victoria was half red.

For a half blood to acquire full blood properties, there were specific ways for each breed. The red flames had only one option. They had to form sexual alliances with three full fire-bloods. One blue flame, one red flame, and one gold flame. Each of these sexual alliances had to be exclusive for the male. So, basically, Victoria had to sleep with Mike (blue), James (red), and Edward (gold); but they could only have sexual relations with Victoria. This was why she paid them with such tokens, she needed to keep their interest.

And then there was Bella. Edward was truly terrified of her sometimes. She could see through all the crap that he hid from her. He knew she was sleeping with Victoria for money. He was sick of himself, he had been for some time, but he didn't know what else he could do. Victoria was relentless when it came to acquiring her fire-blood powers. She wanted nothing less. She would accept nothing less.

And Edward couldn't fall in love with Bella. Because he couldn't ask her to love him in return... he couldn't ask for her love and then go to Victoria.

So he was stuck.

--

Bella went over her conversation with Edward in her mind, ran through each word, each expression, each thought that passed through her mind while they were speaking; trying desperately to figure out what she had done wrong. He had come in, hung up his coat, sat beside her, drank the water, touched her face, commented on her blush. She had asked about his hands. He got angry.

His hands.

That had to be it. There was hardly any other explanation. His eyes were humoured when he sat down, he had a pleasant day, so it wasn't anything that had happened prior to him coming into the room.

Bella got up and ran out of her room. Edward was nowhere in sight, but she had remembered hearing the door slam an hour ago. She knocked on his bedroom door, just as a precaution. When he didn't answer, she opened the door and slid into the room.

She scanned the bookshelf- there were thousands of books- searching for a book about fire-walkers.

_Features of a Fire-Walker_ seemed like an appropriate choice, so she pulled it off the shelf.

She looked through the table of contents and found the male physical features on page 421. She turned to that page and dropped the book, blushing furiously. Who knew fire-walkers were so ... well endowed?

She ran out of the room and slipped back into her own, trying her hardest to get that image out of her head as the sun went down over the garden.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Did you like it? Was I mean enough to Bella? Okay guys, you know what time it is! Question time!!

**What's the most embarrassing moment you've ever had? (If you don't want to put this in a review, you can always send a PM! lol.)**

The most embarrassing moment I've ever had was when I was at my best friends house in middle school. It was her birthday party (13th) and we had eaten ample amounts of chocolate, watched a BUNCH of PG-13 movies, and after her parents went to bed we stuck in Bridget Jones Diary. At one point someone suggested that we start making prank calls. We didn't know who to call, so I suggested my friend from church, Christopher (the one from my favourite memory last chapter!) and they agreed. Kelsey (the BFF) was in his class in second grade. We had a lot of inside jokes about cows and green cheese. We thought we were REALLY clever when we started calling bulls "horny cows" cause they have horns and whatnot... anyway, Kelsey called Christopher (it was eleven at night, btw) and asked him if he wanted a delivery of a "horny cow". When he asked her what she was talking about she shouted, "Hannah wants you to know that you make her a horny cow!!" I had church the next day. I about died from embarrassment when I was apologising to him about what had happened. eek!

Alrighty, I told my story- now it's your turn! Send me a review!! Until next time! Oh yeah, don't forget to tell me whether or not you want me to include future chapter snippets in the review replies! I'll include them if you ask for them!! Love you all!!


	6. Frustrated

**Frustrations**

**Author's Note: **Right, guys. I know you don't want to read a long, detailed author's note, so I'll cut to the chase. HI!!!! lol. Thanks as always for the reviews and positive feedback! I am having many happy days! Okay, so this chapter is going to be a chapter leading to the turning point! (We've been dying for one of those, right?) And I shall start with the story since most of you probably already have!! Right? Right!

* * *

Bella had been avoiding Edward religiously since the whole "hand incident" as she referred to it in her mind. She was in her room everyday when he got to the wing and she stayed there until he left for the evening. She didn't want to think he was going to see Victoria... so she tried her hardest to ignore the fact that he even lived there, despite her keeping up with her chores.

She didn't get any sleep on Wednesday night. Not because she had been staying up in her room waiting for Edward, no, it was simply because she was unable to go to sleep. She convinced herself it was only a mere coincidence that she was suddenly cleared of insomnia after she heard the main door open and close, and Edward's tired footsteps plod into the main room.

Thursday mid-morning was extremely uneventful. Edward had not left anything out of order, and had even taken care of all evidence that he had eaten anything. The kitchen was as spotless as it had been the day before when Bella cleaned it. She couldn't re-clean the kitchen... again. Instead, she decided to relax on the couch for awhile.

The next thing Bella knew, she was being shaken awake by the very figure (though she would never admit it) of her thoughts. His bronze hair was disheveled, and his eyes looked wary. Bella felt like the skin on her arm, where he was shaking her, was on fire. She wasn't sure if that was her imagination or due to the heat of his skin.

"Bella," he started. She sat bolt upright, and darted into her room, and slammed the door soundly. Edward sighed and sat in the very spot Bella just vacated, resting his head in his hands. He had decided on a platonic relationship with Bella, which he decided would sate his need for her company, without getting her caught up in the layered pact that he had with Victoria. He didn't need to give _her_ any more reason to be angry with him... or any more reason for her to go after Bella.

Bella sat in her room face down. She was worried about what Edward would think of her for falling asleep on the job... for she was nothing more to him than a servant, a human that could never become anything more. The idea of Edward thinking so little of her brought tears to her eyes. It was senseless, however, because, Bella told herself, she did not care at all what he thought of her. The stubborn in the thought was in the forefront of her mind when her tears eventually put her to sleep.

_Alongside the pink, frilly princess cake were six presents, all wrapped and perched on the tabletop, begging to be torn into. Her father had gotten her one present, it was wrapped in the same pink princess paper that had covered her gifts for the last three years. Bella didn't have the heart to tell her father that she did not like Cinderella or Snow White, but preferred the stories of the fairy princesses and princes. _

_Her two younger sisters, Rebeca and Rachel, had wrapped the pair of gifts for Bella in matching displays, two gifts that when put together, looked like one newspaper article. _

_The gift from Jacob was the largest, wrapped in a shiny, black trash bag. Bella had the slight idea that it was a stump of the oak tree that he had carved into a fairy princess. The shape certainly fit the description. _

_There was one other gift on the table. It was small, and looked as if it didn't belong. It was wrapped in satiny red and had a bow that was ivory lace. The wrapping itself was clearly more expensive than the rest of her gifts combined, even though the other gifts had the possibility to be anything, it was so ornate. _

_The gift had arrived, fully wrapped, on the doorstep three days before Bella's birthday. The gift had a small note, and the parchment that it was written on was also ivory lace threaded. The writing was cramped, but it could very easily be considered calligraphy. _"Isabella Swan"_ it said. _

_Rachel found it and brought it in, screaming that Bella had gotten a gift. The only person that was concerned was her father, everyone else in the family thought it would be interesting. Consequently, once Bella saw the gift and its wrapping, it was impossible for her to get out of her mind. She was constantly thinking about what the gift might be, and who might have sent it. _

_Bella's interest focused on the gift for three straight days, and even now, sitting at the table with a cake sitting in front of her, six candles dripping wax into the frosting, the only thing on her mind was the small, beautifully wrapped box sitting behind the gift from her father._

The laughing voices of her family seemed to hang in the air even after Bella woke. She couldn't be sure what had woken her, but after checking, she knew it was not Victoria. She closed her eyes tight, trying to recall the dream. It had been so rich and vibrant, all the colours were so bright. The voices were deep and layered, and she felt as if she could hang on to the dream, she might remember what it was like to be a part of a family.

Bella found it impossible to concentrate, however, when she heard a large thump outside her open window. She had the sudden urge to slip in the recesses of the bed. Bella had gone as still as a statue, trying her hardest to hear the happenings of the garden.

She was terrified that Victoria had finally decided to dispose of her, even though she hadn't done anything but think of Edward. And Bella was positive that Edward certainly hadn't even thought about her. Would Victoria get rid of her just for thinking constantly about her master? She did seem crazy, but Bella thought Victoria wouldn't be that twisted. Still, she didn't really want to chance it.

Bella thought about leaving the room, going to hide in Edward's room, but decided that would be a horrible idea. She hadn't been in his room since she found that book, and she had left it on the floor when she bolted out of the room, so she knew that he was aware of her findings.

Instead she stayed as still as possible and tried to hear out the open window. She couldn't pick up on anything, so she tried to shake off the unnecessary anxiety and go back to sleep. A few minutes after she decided to do this, she heard a frustrated grumble. She listened closely, and it sounded as if someone was violently attacking the flowers under her window.

Curiosity overtook her and she got out of bed and walked over to the window, quietly as a whisper of wind. She looked down and saw a pacing figure in the midst of viciously cropped flowers, running his pale hands though his bronze hair, which was now standing on end as if he had pulled at the edges more than once.

Edward was getting frustrated. He wasn't having luck even convincing Victoria that he was happy to oblige her wishes anymore, and she had thrown him out twice in the past week before she had her way with him. Though he enjoyed the freedom, Victoria wasn't stupid. She would glean the problem before he had time to protect Bella with a good lie.

And now Bella wouldn't even look at him.

It wasn't fair, he fumed, that he finally figures out how what he wants and his obligations to match up. It took compromise, mainly in the catergory of what he wanted, but it would have been worth it. Of course, none of this mattered if Bella refused to speak to him.

Edward stalked to the garden, and after spending time entertaining ideas of Bella and himself, he let out a moan of complete frustration, scaring the night birds that rested at the edge of the grounds into silent flight. Breathing deeply, Edward tried to calm down. It didn't work.

Instead, he turned his anger on the flower stalks, kicking them until they were either broken or uprooted. That made him feel better, but only marginally. He hated to think, but the only thing that would make him feel better was asleep forty feet above him.

He looked up at the window in longing, wishing that the look alone would bring Bella out to him. Or at least to the window, where he could get her to look at him. He thought openly about how much he needed her, in his company, as a friend, and he could feel the vindication of his epiphany burning in his eyes.

Edward's fiery eyes caught against the deep chocolate orbs forty feet above his, and he couldn't help but notice that the reflective light in her eyes came from the light in his, and the light in his came from thoughts of her.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thanks for reading guys!! Make sure to send me a review with some input! I know this chapter was short and I think it's another chapter without dialogue, but I wanted to get something out today for your reading pleasure!! lol, I'm getting a little cocky, sorry guys. I'll tone it down a bit. ANYWAY, I do believe it is that time again (as I avoid doing homework in the school library...lol) QUESTION TIME!!!

**Who is your favourite Twilight character from the book? The movie?**

Okay, my answer (no flames on this, kay guys? lol.) is Book: Edward. Movie: Rosalie. Okay, I love Edward too, in the movie, but I think that only had to do with my major celeb-crush on Robert Pattinson. I thought the movie Edward was awesome. But Rosalie was my favourite character. There was just layers and layers to her vile behaviour, and I loved it! lol. Nikki Reed was awesome in that movie... Right, so tell me your favourite characters from the book / movie in a review!! Until next time!


	7. Edward's Exigency

**Edward's Exigency  
**

**Author's Note: **Hey guys!! Sorry I didn't update yesterday, I know I've been really consistent, but yesterday was my dad's birthday... and since I'm only a senior, I get to celebrate!! lol. Anyway, I'm sorry so I wrote this chapter to be longer than the others... think of it as a couple of chapters in one... or at least a chapter and a half! Right, so last chapter was the chapter leading to the turning point, right? Well... that means that this chapter is a turning point. (One of many) And I am really nervous about this chapter but also really excited about what you all will think!!! Okay, so I'll get on with the story, because I assume most of you already have!! Right? right! lol.

* * *

**Just a refresher from last chapter... **_"Edward's fiery eyes caught against the deep chocolate orbs forty feet above his, and he couldn't help but notice that the reflective light in her eyes came from the light in his, and the light in his came from thoughts of her."_

Edward could no longer take the torture. Victoria had demanded that he return to his consensual duties and treat Bella like a servant. He wasn't positive what he was meant to do... should he follow his heart or should he do what he was told? What was the right thing in this situation?

Edward must have been some twisted form of masochist, to fall in love with a human. Was it love? Or infatuation? Or just the fact that Bella was the only existing creature that he had ever felt a magnetic pull toward, the only living creature he'd ever wanted to spend time with. He had changed when he joined Victoria, it was necessary, not his fault. But he didn't want to think about how much he might have changed since then.

What was the right thing to do? The honourable thing to do in this situation? Follow his heart, to be honourable to himself, something he hadn't done in a long while; or to honour Victoria and his pact? With a sigh, he decided that he had probably gone officially crazy.

Bella was spending every day in patient, controlled agony. And every night in unprecedented pain. She wished that she had someone she could talk to, confide in, share her secret, desperate love she felt toward her master... she wished she had a friend.

Bella was confused at this new, desperate urge for social contact; her entire life had been spent in pleasant solitude, she had never made a friend. Nor did she ever want to.

Edward felt wasted after he spent his afternoon with Victoria. He felt sick to his stomach, and when he thought Victoria had fallen asleep, he slid out of the vast bed and had his entire bottom half covered before she stirred.

"Going back to that human, are you?" she said softly. Victoria almost sounded hurt. Edward didn't answer, just grabbed for his shirt, tugging it over his arms.

"Damn it, Edward!" Victoria said. "Can't you just answer me for once?" He turned to her in frustration.

"I'm going to my rooms. I expect my _servant_ to be there," he drew out the word servant, "yes, but that's not why I'm leaving." his voice was a tight hiss, his teeth smashed together to keep the lie out of his voice.

Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"Don't be an idiot Eddie." Victoria sneered. "I know you better than you think I do." Edward scoffed. "I do!" Victoria insisted.

"Prove it." Edward said under his breath.

"You will treat _Bella_ _Swan_," Bella's name sounded like a curse rolling off Victoria's tongue. "like a servant from now on, Edward. Don't test me on that. If you don't, not only will I make your life incredibly difficult, she'll die." Victoria said. Edward froze. It occurred to him what the right thing to do in this situation would be.

On the offhand that Victoria was bluffing, Edward refused to say anything, trying vigorously to hear the lie in her words, the apology for going overboard... the things that never came.

"Get out." Victoria's voice was filled with venom.

"Gladly." Edward said, and he stormed out of the room. Victoria waited for the door to slam behind his retreating figure.

"And you'll be the one to kill her." she whispered after him.

Edward ran out to the garden, where he picked the only flower that he had left standing the previous night. He plucked the large sunflower away from the stalk and held it to his nose, smelling the sweet nectar that usually calmed him down. Well, it used to calm him down, anyway. Now, he knew what would calm him down... but at what expense?

Victoria would kill her.

She would torture him.

And only then would Victoria be content.

_Is this what I wanted?_ Edward thought back to the beginning of his and Victoria's relationship... if it could be called that, and wondered if this relationship based on sex and personal pleasure was what he had wanted.

No, it was not.

Edward missed his clan from northern Europe. He remembered them often, but it often hurt far too much to think about them consciously. He was the reason they were all dead.

He looked down at the sunflower in his hand. The petals were wilting quickly.

"She loves me." he whispered, pulling the darkest petal from the brown center, and letting it fall to the ground.

"She couldn't love me." he said, pulling another petal, one only slightly less wilted as the previous, and also let it drop to the ground to join its partner.

"She might love me."

"She wouldn't love me."

"She'll never love me."

"She hates me."

He looked at the last petal, and he didn't know what to think. Was it possible that she could love him, somehow, even after all he had done, treated her horribly, avoided her, acted a fool, and now: treating her like a servant of his...? Could anyone love someone so self centered?

Edward dropped the flower, the last petal still attached, turned away from the garden and walking away. He made himself a pact to not visit the garden for a very long time to come.

Bella was watching Edward from her window. All last night, and all day so far she had sat at the window, watching Edward when he was in the garden. It was obvious that was where he went to think. Whenever he was there, he was running his fingers through his hair, and he was always alone. Bella started to think of a plan, one that she thought would never go into motion.

Bella noticed that he was holding the last sunflower in the garden, the only flower he hadn't destroyed in his frustrated rampage the night before. She thought back to yesterday night.

She was watching him tear up the garden, kicking at the shorter flowers and uprooting the longer stems with his long, pale fingers. He looked angry, even though she couldn't really see his facial expression from the distance. Still, nobody goes after a bunch of flowers unless they're ticked off about something.

Bella watched him reach for the last sunflower, his hand outstretched, when he suddenly stopped and looked up at her window. She had thought momentarily about shrinking in the shadows, but then she saw his eyes. They were glittering, and blazing in the darkness. It was absolutely captivating. She could feel her own eyes lock on his, and the hold was unbearable. Too far away, too fragile, and also too close and way too strong for a master and a servant. Of course, he wasn't looking at her like she was a servant. He was looking at her like she was the very reason for his life to continue. His hand remained outstretched, but it had froze and his fingers had curled in on themselves.

The sunflower was left to stay standing.

Edward didn't look up today, he just stalked out of sight, looking terribly contrite about something. Bella felt a pang in her chest at his expression, and she couldn't help but wonder what was causing him pain... and consequently, herself pain.

Edward stormed into the chamber, set on his plan to keep Bella safe. At whatever cost to his sanity or his happiness.

"Isabella!" he shouted, calling her name harshly. She ran out of her room, looking at him with a small bit of hope in her eyes. Edward was going to hate himself so much after this. "Where is my water?" he spat. She looked confused for a moment. He had never before asked for a glass of water until late afternoon to evening, and it was only barely afternoon now.

Bella sputtered, but ran into the kitchen to get a glass of water. She grabbed a long, thin glass from the cupboard and turned on the tap. She filled the cup to the brim and then was careful to not spill whilst returning to Edward. However, Bella was a clumsy creature. She tripped over her feet when she was a foot away from Edward and fell, spilling the water all down his front, and falling on her own face.

"Ugh! You clumsy human!" Edward snarled, examining the damage: one wet shirt and a bit of water creeping down his pant leg. "Get out of my sight until you can learn to walk." he spat at Bella and walked to the kitchen.

Mumbling under his breath, "If I want help around here I gotta do everything myself. It's too much to ask a human to do something right the first time. I dunno what I was thinking with this brat." he made sure Bella could hear him, though it ripped him to pieces to say what he was saying.

Bella's sob was muffled, as if she was trying her absolute hardest to not only hide it from him, but keep it from making an appearance entirely. Edward bit his lip until he could feel the pressure mount into a faint throbbing.

"Clean that mess up right now!" he shouted from the kitchen, keeping his back turned away from Bella so she couldn't see the obvious pain in his features. He also hoped that she wouldn't catch the desperate tenor of his voice if he was facing away from her. She scurried to get a towel, and stumbled again. She didn't fall, but Edward let out a long, exasperated sigh, hiding the gasp of fear and concern with a condescending noise.

Bella cleaned up the mess without a single tear dropping from her eyes, but Edward could see the pain it caused her to hold in the tears for so long. At one point she cut her hand on the glass, and Edward had to clench his teeth and leave the room to keep from running to her and not letting her go until she was deliriously happy.

Once Edward was in his room with the door safely locked, he broke down. He threw every book on his bookshelf across the room and knocked over the bookshelf itself. All the trinkets he had collected over the years ended up in pieces on the floor. He tore at his sheets on his bed. Then he curled up in the corner that had remained void of damage and let the angry tears come.

Bella finished cleaning the mess she had made, and patched her hand up before she felt a tear slide down her cheek. She got another glass of water and set it on the table in the main room, then turned on her heel and went to her room. There she locked the door and climbed under her bed, lying in the fetal position and letting the tears slide down her face until the sun was rising and she heard Edward's footsteps and the door slam shut, and then silence.

Edward was unable to please Victoria the next day. She was a little miffed about that, but she had heard what was going on in his chambers, so she assumed that it would all work out eventually. She just hoped it would be sooner rather than later. She really did love that thing Edward did with his hands.

Bella came out of her room, her eyes red and puffy, and the first thing she noticed was that the glass of water she had set out the previous night was empty. Under it was a small piece of paper, and she walked over to the table to read it.

_Thank you_ it said in beautiful writing. Bella felt a tear slide down her face in the exact line that the tears had traveled the night before. She wondered if her face had duvets where the tears had eroded away at her face. It wouldn't surprise her.

On top of Bella's confusion and loneliness, she couldn't figure out Edward's sudden 180 degree change toward her. He'd never been outright mean toward her, even when they were in public areas where the other non-humans would expect it.

But then, last night he treated her awful, even leaving her to clean up her wound by herself. Perhaps that was good, she knew she didn't want him to see her cry over physical pain. Bella didn't want to encourage the weak human stereotype.

The first thing Bella did was fill a glass of water for Edward. Whatever was happening, she didn't want to provoke a repeat of the previous night.

--

A full week passed in this setting. Edward would come back from not pleasing Victoria and attack Bella verbally for things she didn't know she even needed to do before he got home. Each night, Edward stormed off to his room and trashed it and then sat on the floor somewhere. Bella would cry herself to sleep. Edward could hear it and it tortured him to no end. By the third day of this, Edward had become numb to Bella's pain. He couldn't feel anything positive either.

By the beginning of the next week, Bella decided that she would do something Edward hadn't asked for, but would want nonetheless. She decided that she was going to clean his room.

When Edward got home that day, he snapped at Bella for finding one of her hairs on the couch. He yelled at her obvious lack of work ethic, if she was resting on the job. When Bella turned away from him so he wouldn't see the tears sliding down her face, he stormed off to his room knowing that he needed to rip a couple of books apart.

He opened the door and stood in the doorway, stunned. Normally, his room was pristine and spotless, but during the last week he had been destroying it more and more every night until he could no longer move his arms and the numbness veiled him in some sort of pain-ridden stupor.

However, his room was as clean as it had been two weeks ago. Even the trinkets were put back together seamlessly. He couldn't look at them and figure out which ones he had broken in his angry outbursts. At first he didn't know what to think. And then he realised what had happened.

Bella.

She had probably snuck into his room after doing her basic chores that he was assigning her, and completely re-did his room. She had restored all his sheets, replaced all his books to a fixed bookshelf, and she had glued back together all his trinkets and placed them in their correct places.

The chores he had given her the past week were meant to exhaust her, they were meant to physically and emotionally and mentally drain her, so she wouldn't completely register the horrid monster he had become to her. He was suffering enough for both of them. And yet, she had still managed to come into his room and re-create the sanctuary it had once been.

Edward turned on his heel and walked back out to the main room, only to find Bella was not there. He listened hard, knowing he had not been paying attention to any doors opening or closing. He heard a stuttering sob come from the general direction from Bella's room, and Edward felt his chest clench in guilt and self-loathing.

He decided this had to end. He couldn't deny himself anymore. And he was obviously hurting Bella, so his noble, honourable plan had been for naught.

He was pushing open Bella's door and bending down to look under the bed, a popular place for Bella to go when she was sad or scared, before he had even registered that he had decided to screw the stupid "keep Bella safe" plan.

Her eyes were closed in defeat and tears were leaking out of the corners. Edward hesitated, but then reached his arms out to grab her waist. When his hands touched her cold waist, she flinched. He didn't remove his hands, however, convincing himself that she was only startled. If she had heard him enter, she wouldn't have continued to cry.

Edward managed to pull her out from under the bed and into his lap. When she was secure, and his arms were around her, he spoke.

"Bella." he said. She sniffed and buried her face into his chest. He rubbed her back with one hand, the other found its way into her hair, playing with the soft curls and smoothing it comfortingly. After a couple of minutes, he gently pushed her away from him, not enough to knock her off his lap and onto the floor, just enough so he could access her chin.

He pulled her face up so it was level with his own, and his hand shifted from her chin to her face, where he slid his thumb across her cheekbones, wiping away the tears. He could almost feel the salt in them, she was dehydrated. He wanted to get her a glass of water, but he needed to tell her what he was thinking more. The water could wait a couple of minutes, at least.

"Bella, we need to talk." he said. She shook her head and refused to meet his gaze. "Bella." he said, a small warning creeping into his voice. "Look at me." It took nearly a full minute, but she eventually obliged.

"Yes, sir?" she asked. Edward felt his insides twist with guilt and anguish.

"Bella, I'm so sorry." he started. "I need you to know everything, and then maybe some of it might make sense to you." she looked at him, the pain in her eyes doubling. Edward felt like he was going to die under her gaze. He didn't think he could handle any more pain.

Bella remained silent, waiting for Edward to continue. He took her silent cue and started to talk.

"Bella, I never wanted to treat you as a servant. I never even wanted you as a servant. The first day I met you I knew you were something special. I dunno why I knew that or even how I could possibly tell, after only talking to you for a few seconds, but I felt some sort of pull to you. I've never felt that kind of pull in my life before. Ever.

"I'm not the creature I once was. I've turned cold, and after everything that's happened, though I could never excuse my behaviour and attitude for the past... well, too long, it is understandable. Or at least predictable. Before I met Victoria, Bella, I lived in northern Europe with a clan of five members, including myself.

"There was Carlisle and Esme, they were the leaders of our clan, our parents, if you will. They were able to love truly, something that is honestly difficult to achieve for many fire-bloods. There's only a small sector of us that can even physiologically achieve true love, and we tend to band together in small groups. Our views are different than the rest of our worlds.

"And there was Emmett and his young bride Rosalie. Rose was only half fire-blood, but it was of compassionate blood. Emmett fell in love with her and she loved him, so they were married when they died. Even Carlisle and Esme didn't marry, it was too risky for our kind to marry, with our animalistic features and literally steaming blood. Emmett was dedicated and Rosalie really loved him completely.

"I lived with the four of them, and I gave realistic evidence to a successful fifth wheel. It would have been impossible to find someone so happy and content without a sexual partner. However, it was something that I had always been curious about. Fire-bloods are far from quiet, and I was often unable to tune out the goings-on of my family. Instead, I took an academic interest, and invested my time into the history, the scientific reasoning, and all the abnormalities for our kind.

"In my studies I came across many incubus, and the most intriguing to me was a creature that was half fire-blood. This specific creature must have maintained three sexual partners, all of whom were exclusive to her, and only then was she able to attain her fire-blood features.

"One night, the very incubus that I studied showed up at our lodgings in north Europe, and she was appalled by the way our family ran. I, a fine reproductive specimen, was not experiencing any physical release, and neither Esme nor Rose shared their partners. Carlisle was exclusive to Esme, just as Emmett was exclusive to Rosalie. And it was mutual. Neither Esme nor Rose had a sexual relationship with me. Nor did I want one with them.

"The incubus, on grounds of blasphemy, destroyed the household and murdered Carlisle, Esme, Rose, and Emmett in one fail swoop. She kidnapped me and then told me her plans.

"I was to become the third and final part to her sex triangle, the one that would allow her to attain her rightful powers. If I helped her to do this, she promised great reward. If I decided against it, she threatened my life and my sanity, along with my pride. And, Bella, I'm sure you know about my pride.

"I accepted her offer and came to live with her. I've been on these grounds ever since, wishing and waiting for an outlet. And then you came along." Edward stopped for a minute, looking at Bella's reaction. By the look in her eyes, she was following the story, but at a slower pace than he was telling it. Edward decided it was time for a water break.

"Come on. You must be thirsty." he said as he scooped her up in his arms and stood in one motion. Then he carried her to the kitchen where he sat her on the counter top. After a moment, Edward presented Bella with a glass filled with water. She took it, but didn't take a drink.

"Don't be shy, Bella. It's okay." Edward said. Bella looked at him and then slowly raised the glass to her lips. Once the water touched them, her lips parted and she drank the water greedily. The glass was empty before Bella even needed to take a breath. Bella cleared her throat.

"And then I came along?" she asked, trying to lead Edward back to his story.

"Yes." he said, smiling. "And then you came along.

"Bella, you have become to me the most important thing in my existence. I think I finally figured out what was so damn special about Rosalie to Emmett, or Esme to Carlisle. I don't just want you for sexual gratification. I want you completely, and not only that, I want nobody else for anything.

"And this is why Victoria is angry. I no longer have any desire to continue with the pact I made with her, even though she gave no time limit. The only reason she came looking for me was because she killed her last mate. I took his place. And then, having nothing to lose or gain, I rose quickly to become her favourite... toy, as you like to call it." Bella blushed instantly.

"How did you know that?" she asked. Edward smirked and pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket. Her handwriting stained it, and as he flashed it in front of her, she noticed that it said _Day Four _along the edge. Bella flushed even deeper. Edward chuckled and rested his hand against her neck. It was warmer than her face, and when her heart calmed down from the contact, she felt the blush recede back into her skin.

"Anyway, she ordered me to treat you like a proper servant last week, and she threatened my sanity and our lives. Because, Bella, without you in my life, it would cease to exist. She wouldn't kill me physically, of course. But she would take your life and then I would be left as an empty shell, because you would take me with you.

"And so I beg your forgiveness. I can't put up with the arrangement anymore. I can't hurt you any longer. It's killing me to know you're in tears and it's my fault. I'm so terribly selfish, Bella, to do a duty and cause you pain. Please, Bella, I need you to forgive me." Edward said, his voice a soft whisper by the end.

Bella didn't know what to think. She didn't think there was anything to forgive Edward for. He was simply doing what he thought was best. There was nothing horrid in that. Yes, he had been awful to her for the past week, but she had certainly lived though worse. So many humans had lived through significantly worse than how Edward had treated her recently.

Bella shook her head, and Edward's heat dropped to his knees. His eyes immediately filled with tears, which he tried to push away while he was in front of Bella. He nodded at the ground and then left the kitchen and went into his room.

Edward was laying on his bed for a full ten minutes before he heard a small knock at his door. Instead of answering, he rolled over on his stomach and buried his head into the pillow. He felt like a class-A idiot. He blew his one and probably only chance at true love.

The bed sank under Bella's minimal weight, but Edward didn't move. She put her hand on his lower back and slowly trailed it up to the base of his neck, where she lightly drew her fingers through the hair there, and then back down his spine just as slowly. Bella's hand made the circuit three complete times before she spoke.

"I don't know what I should be forgiving you for, Edward. You didn't do anything wrong." she whispered. If he could have groaned he would have. There was so much he needed forgiveness for. He was a monster. To her and so many others.

"But I forgive you all the same, for anything you ever want or need forgiveness for." she said. Her hand had never stopped it's circuit, and Edward flipped over so he could see her expression. Bella's hand was laying on his chest, and it was frozen there, as if she didn't know whether or not to remove it, or if she couldn't decide which she wanted to do.

Before she could move her hand, Edward grabbed hold of it and held it tight to his chest. He looked into her eyes. They were clear, sincere, and kind. And so deep. He felt as if there was a magnet behind her eyes, deep in the recesses of her, and it was pulling him in. He didn't really want to escape.

Edward acknowledged another magnet, one that was far more physical than the original one. He slowly raised his free hand to her neck, and wound his fingers through the curls that fell there. Slowly, never breaking eye contact with her, Edward pulled her to him, until her face was level with his and only an inch away.

"Bella" Edward whispered. Her eyes were half lidded and seemed to darken ever so slightly as they stayed locked with his. Edward felt his skin begin to burn. And then he pulled her lips against his.

Edward's lips were like rose petals on fire. They were soft and smooth, they tasted unique and so perfect, like a rose petal with a drop of dew resting on it and catching the light, making it sparkle like a diamond in the morning sun. And yet, they were scalding against Bella's lips. Though of course, she wasn't entirely sure if that was him or her blood boiling.

Edward's lips moved like a rose in the breeze, softly and without any sudden movements. Bella felt the kiss in her toes, and she could feel it everywhere else, spreading like a slow burn through her veins.

Like a rose in the morning, his lips parted slowly and Bella felt his tongue sweep her bottom lip. She didn't know what to do, so she pulled back. She needed to take a breath anyway.

Edward didn't stop kissing her. His lips slid down to her chin, where he placed slow, butterfly kisses against her skin. Every spot his lips touched seemed to burn long after his lips had vacated the spot and moved to another, creating a strange sensation of being slowly burned by a fire, but not feeling any pain from the damage.

Edward pulled back to look at Bella. Her eyes were closed, and she had a small smile of content on her face. There were no frown lines peppering her skin, and she looked almost tired. Edward shifted so Bella was laying against his side, with her head tucked under his chin. He wrapped his arms around her.

"Go to sleep now, Bella." he whispered in her ear, kissing it as he did. When her breathing deepened and became even, Edward allowed himself to rest.

* * *

**Author's Note:** whew! That was the longest chapter I've ever done! But it was worth it (for me at least), so much happened in it!! I'm so glad Edward and Bella are together now... at least to some extent. Of course, if / when Victoria finds out, she's not going to be happy, is she? lol. Okay guys, so remember the very first question I asked all of you? The one about whose past was the most important?? Well, Edward won (by one point) so that's why his past came first. Yay!! lol. Alrighty, everybody's favourite time... QUESTION TIME!!!

**When you were younger, what was one fantasy about your future that you entertained? (It doesn't have to be anything more than what you wanted to be when you grew up, don't worry. lol)**

My answer: (My excuse for this story will be that I was four when I came up with this... and it kind of stuck.) When I was little, my imaginary friend Riley and I had a crush on the same person (who has previously made appearances in my answers previously, lol)... Christopher. Anyway, Riley was always really big on planning, so he and I came up with a scenario where Christopher and I would decide to get married. Here's how it went:

"Hi Hannah." Christopher would say.

"Hi Christopher." I would say.

"I love you." Christopher would say.

"I love you too." I would say.

"Let's get married." Christopher would say.

"Okay." I would say.

Then we would walk away hand in hand. There was no sunset, no fancy scenery. We were on the church lawn and we were just walking away. Very silly. But again, my defense, I was FOUR! lol.

Yeah. Now it's your turn! lol. It can be something simple like what you wanted to do when you grow up or it can be unique... either one is fine. I just wanna know something! lol. Until next time!!


	8. Giggle Fits

**Giggle Fits  
**

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I would've updated sooner, but fanfic(dot)net has been down recently! And I've been REALLY sick the past weekend. Like… all weekend. It was icky. Sorry about that… but I'm sure you guys were aware of the malfunction anyway… lol. Anyway, I wanna know what you guys think (I'm always ten times more nervous about fluffy stuff than hard core stuff, I never thought I was that great at writing fluffy stuff) so please try to send me a review!! (: anyway, you've probably already started the story so I will too!

* * *

**(Here's a refresher cause I find it really cute!!) **_Edward felt his skin begin to burn. And then he pulled her lips against his. He wrapped his arms around her._

_"Go to sleep now, Bella." he whispered in her ear, kissing it as he did. When her breathing deepened and became even, Edward allowed himself to rest._

Bella woke in the middle of the night. She was curled against a pillow in Edward's bed. The pillow was cold. She didn't know what was going on, what had happened to Edward?

She started to cry when she thought about her active imagination. She probably made up the entire thing last night, and then fell asleep in Edward's bed.

Bella knew he was going to be really mad when he found her here, so she threw back the covers that were draped over her body. Underneath the covers by where her head had been was a small note.

It was too dark in the room to read what the piece of paper said, so Bella padded across the room to the door. The moonlight always hit the main room fiercely and illuminated everything in a bluish glow.

Holding the note out, Bella looked down at the beautiful script that had been on the thank you note by the water the previous week. She wiped the sleep out of her eyes and blinked a few times before her eyes adjusted enough to read what the paper said.

_Isabella,_

_I hope you do not wake up before I get back, but if you do; I had to take care of a couple of things before dawn. Go back to sleep and I'll be there soon enough._

_Edward_

She smiled. So yesterday had happened. That was a relief. Suddenly feeling a ton lighter, Bella strolled into the kitchen and pulled out two glasses. She filled both glasses to the brim with water, one she drank down herself, and the other she placed on the table.

Instead of going back to Edward's room (she still felt a little like she was intruding when she was in there); she went into her own room and opened the window.

Bella tossed and turned in her bed for a good fifteen minutes before she decided that she just couldn't get back to sleep.

Star-gazing had become a natural pastime for Bella, so she shoved back the offending covers and sat on the windowsill. She looked all around the night sky. It should have looked different to her, she certainly felt different, but she was slightly put out to discover that it had not changed at all.

Bella felt restless. She felt her eyes wander around the scenery below, until they fell on the old garden, that had been destroyed so completely just a week ago. Instead of seeing damaged stalks and wilted flowers, Bella was surprised to see meticulous lines of freshly overturned earth.

At the far edge of the garden, a silhouette broke the simple horizon. As soon as Bella saw him, she mashed her lips together (she was afraid that she would shout) and slid off the sill and back inside.

She didn't know which way she should go. Should she go to the garden? Or should she stay here? Confused, and slightly disoriented with the rush of emotions, Bella paced furiously around in her room.

Edward obviously wanted to be alone, or he wouldn't be out in the demolished garden. It was his space and she would be overstepping her boundaries if she went out to find him.

But… he had taken her to the garden before. They met for the first time in that garden, in the dead of night. It would be like fate stepping in if she went down to be with him, there… right?

Or not.

Bella was afraid of herself. She was afraid that she wouldn't be enough to be with Edward. She already had to battle being human, and then she was his servant. Officially and legally and with bindings and rules and rights. There was nothing she could do to change that, and she was too ordinary for him to forget it. It would always be there, in the back of both of their minds, she was human and he was not. She was a slave to the way things were done, and he was a ruler.

They were just too different.

Edward had spent an hour cleaning the garden of all the dead flowers. He had meticulously reopened the earth and spread new flower seeds. All sunflowers. He had wiped his brow and tugged his hair out of his eyes more times than he could count.

In the back of his mind, he hoped that Bella would wake up. That she would see the note and somehow know where he was, what he was doing, and why. He imagined in his head different scenarios.

In the first one Bella was wearing a nightgown that he had never seen, but it was blue and lacy and also immaculate. She'd come to him and they'd sit in the flowers (that had already magically grown tall) and talk and laugh and kiss and lay back and watch the stars. She'd laugh at all his bad jokes and he'd tell her that he loved her.

In the second, Bella was… not as covered. And they would lay together in the flowers and commit sinful and loving deeds.

However, it seemed as if these imaginations were just that, run by his imagination. Edward knew that if Bella came out to him, it would be dangerous for her. He was less away from Victoria here than anywhere else, and certainly more exposed to Victoria in a garden than in his chambers. So he pushed his imagination down and finished the task at hand.

Bella was sitting on the couch when Edward returned. The glass of water was in her hand, and it was trembling. Edward didn't meet her eyes, but that wasn't his fault. She was looking at the floor.

Edward went into the kitchen to wash the dirt off of his hands, and when he came back, Bella was sopping wet.

"Bella?" Edward asked, rushing toward her and taking the now half-empty glass of water out of her hand, setting it on the table. She looked up at him. Her face was bright red.

"What happened?" Edward asked. She shook her head violently and her face darkened. Slightly confused, Edward raised his hand to her burning cheek in comfort. Bella visibly flinched when he touched her skin. Hurt, Edward dropped his hand back to his side and sat down on the table across from her.

"Isabella Swan." He said, in a controlling voice. She looked up at him, tears beginning to form in her eyes. He felt his own throat constrict. He hadn't meant it like that.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. They sat together in a moment of complete, awkward silence.

Then, Bella started to convulse. Her lips were tightly together and her face was contorted.

"Bella?" Edward said, scared for her suddenly. Could she have some sort of attack? Had she ever had any sort of attack? Bella opened her mouth and a loud crack of laughter escaped her lips. She folded in on herself, giggling madly.

Edward felt a sharp sense of relief. He chuckled a little at himself for being afraid, and then at Bella as her laugh was contagious. Not two full minutes later, both Edward and Bella were rolling on the floor, tears falling from mirth. Edward rolled toward Bella, and clutched her to him. He kissed her cheek and sighed.

"So tell me," he said between chuckles. "Why are we laughing?" Bella looked at him, still giggling quietly.

"I always get funny when I'm embarrassed." She whispered, looking down and giggling slightly.

"Oh." Edward said. He sat up and crossed his legs. Then he pulled Bella up as well, tucking her neatly into his side.

"Tell me." He whispered as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Why are you embarrassed?" He felt Bella's face heat, and she shook her head. He glanced down to see her expression, her lips were smashed together and her eyes were wide.

"Bella, I won't laugh at you." He said.

"I'm afraid you'll get angry." She whispered. He pulled her more firmly into his side.

"Isabella Swan, nothing you say would make me angry." He said with finality, as if he half-expected her to argue, and was trying to dissuade her before she started. "Now you have to tell me." He looked down at her encouragingly. She sighed. And folded.

"I was just thinking about that book that I had found in your room when I was cleaning it." Edward began thinking about the same thing, and he knew that it had been before she had ever cleaned his room. However, since he was just as embarrassed as she, he didn't feel now was the time to bring that up.

"Oh." He said, and let the subject drop promptly.

They both sat together in silence for awhile longer, until the sun started to rise and add a yellowish glow to the room. Edward sighed. He didn't want to go about and pretend like today was just another day. He wanted to stay here, with Bella.

Bella, however, had other plans. She slowly pulled away from Edward and got up, and then she started to clean the room, picking things up that they had knocked over, getting a towel to dry off the couch from the spilled water, and taking the dishes into the kitchen.

"You don't have to do that, you know." Edward said. "I had just as much a hand in messing the place up." He trailed behind her. She looked up at him from the sink.

"But I like cleaning." She said. "I've been doing it my entire life."

"But…" Edward started.

"Don't." Bella said firmly, cutting him off. "I do this because I want to. And you have to do things today, as well. I mind as well keep myself occupied in the meantime." She said, turning back to the dishes.

Edward took the cue as dismissal, and he slowly walked out the door to take care of the numerous tasks he himself had to complete.

It didn't take but twenty minutes before Edward realised that he didn't have numerous tasks to complete, since he was going to avoid Victoria as long as possible. Instead, he walked aimlessly out to the garden, where he had planted a hundred sunflower seeds the previous night.

He lay back in the dirt, knowing that Bella would be angry with him if he returned too soon, and closed his eyes. He felt the sun travel across the sky, and when it was directly over head, he sighed and returned to a sitting position.

Calculating the damage caused by the previous night, Edward assumed that Bella would be done with chores by this point, and he would be welcome back into his rooms with open arms. So he got up quickly and sprinted for his chamber.

It was a miracle, but Edward didn't run into anybody on his way back to his room. Usually, at least one other fire-blood would want to speak to him, about interesting facts, politics, or some other form of inane chatter. Edward was outside the door of his wing in less than a minute.

He pushed open the door quietly, wanting to catch Bella in a state of ignorance to his presence. He snuck into the room and closed the door all the way, slowly turning the lock so the click was not prominent.

Bella had her back to the door, and was swaying slightly as she re-arranged the pillows on the couch. She was unnaturally graceful, and Edward couldn't help but smile at this different, more balanced side of Bella.

---

After Bella kicked Edward out of the wing, she started cleaning at a meticulous pace. She started with herself, going into the bathroom and scrubbing her skin until it squeaked, her hair until it was cleaner than her skin, under her fingernails, behind her ears…

Then she dug out one of the outfits left to her by Alice, the girl that had disappeared before she came to court.

It was simple, knee length, and pale blue. The shirt she paired with it was just as simple, only white and long sleeved.

Bella brushed her hair until it was dry, so that it had soft, simple curls but was also completely manageable. Then she pinned it back in a simple manner and took on cleaning the rest of the rooms. She made both her and Edward's beds, and did all the dishes, and then tackled the main room.

Bella was just straightening the couch pillows for the millionth time when she felt two arms wrap around her middle. Immediately startled (it was merely habit at this point), Bella stopped humming. Then she felt a small rumble against her back, where the person's chest was, and realised that they were laughing silently.

She turned in the confines of the arms, and realised that it was Edward that was holding her. And he was smiling as his eyes laughed at her. She smiled back and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"Hey, you." She smiled widely at him.

"Hey." He whispered as he leaned down. He kept eye contact with her; silently questioning her if what he was doing was okay with her. She strained her neck and quickly pushed her lips against his.

Edward groaned in the back of his throat when she kissed him. He immediately decided that he liked it much more when she kissed him, rather than he kissing her. He could feel the smile on her lips at his reaction, and he pressed his lips into hers with more fervor.

Instead of repeating the way he had kissed her last night, Edward was more forceful, not allowing a second of soft or gentle. It was still in the back of his mind, she was human, she had to be treated with respect and gentleness… but he didn't really want to kiss her softly at the moment.

After kissing each other for a few minutes, Bella pulled back and rested her head against his chest. Edward buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. He couldn't think of a place he would rather be.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Alrighty, so fluffy and all that. I think that there might be one or two more chapters of this. I'm afraid of moving Edward's and Bella's relationship along too quickly, but the story will become much more fast paced (or the equivalent) soon enough. Anyway, now is the time I know all of you wait for… (lol) Question time!! Right! SO…

**What is the most unique dream you've ever had?**

Okay, so I've always had a slight discord with mathematics. Anyway, every single time that I miss something in math class, it always has to do with the natural log function (lnx for the math geekies out there) and I never completely have gotten a full grasp on the dang function. Well, when we started working with the derivatives in Calculus, I missed the day where our teacher taught and explained the derivative for lnx. So now, whenever I have a particularly awful amount of math homework, I always have the same dream when I get to sleep. I am running along the natural log function and I am discontinuous at negative infinity. Since lnx approaches zero as it goes to negative infinity… anyway, the derivative for lnx is 1/x, and the function 1/x really, really hates me (in my dream and in real life) and it is chasing me because it is going to kill me and eat me for supper with tea. And I am running so fast trying to get to negative infinity and therefore zero, because 1/x can never be at zero, based on the whole dividing by zero thing… and since I'm running for negative infinity, I never reach it and eventually 1/x catches up with me and kills me and eats me for supper with tea. And then I wake up. Lol.

Okay, your turn readers! Send me a review with your most unique dream!!


	9. Author's Note I'm SORRY!

**Author's Note**

**Hey Guys! I am so sorry that I haven't updated for nearly two weeks now. I (literally) have five BILLION homework assignments and tests and papers and college applications and all of that. I PROMISE that I will update soon, as soon as I can possibly update FOR REAL!!!!! AND when I update it will be amazing LONG chapters. I'm so sorry for such a short annoying note...**

**And just for the heck of it... Question time!**

**What is your favourite winter beverage?**

**My answer: I love chocolate milk shakes... they are so amazing! And I love eating them in winter! I'm weird, I like cold stuff in winter... (: yay!**

**Okay, I'm done. You don't have to review. This is an authors note. lol**

**Right, I'll have a chapter, a LONG LONG chapter after this. And then we'll be on with the story!! LOVE YOU ALL!**

**BrokenTopaz  
**


	10. Court Jesters

**Court Jesters  
**

**Author's Note:** I'm baaaack! lol. I'm so sorry it's been forever! I have some good news (for me) and some not so good news (for me, not you) but I'll tell you later. Right now, it's story time, cause it has been FOREVER since I've updated! (btw, I so excited about you all reading this chapter!!) oh yeah, I didn't do major amazing proofreading in this chapter, so forgive me in advance!! Tell me what you think!!! (:

* * *

Bella spent an unnatural amount of time getting ready for the evening. She had gone through four different outfits, one of which she had crafted herself in her free time when Edward was running around like a mad rabbit, trying to get everything he needed to do done before the afternoon.

Edward sighed loudly and laid down on the couch. He threw his hands up in the air and let them fall down to cover his face.

"Come on!" he whined through his fingers. "It's not that difficult to find an outfit!" he said.

Bella wrenched open her door, her hair flying and her skin flushed with nervous rushing.

"Oh well excuse me, Mr. Cullen! I'm so sorry that some of us are human so getting ready takes a little time." Edward looked up at her in disbelief.

"A little time was over half an hour ago." he said. Bella rolled her eyes and closed the door, muttering under her breath about the inaccuracy of Edward's statement.

Even though he was a little afraid of Bella at his point, Edward got off the couch and walked slowly over to Bella's door. Edward took a deep breath and tapped his knuckles on the door.

"Bella?" he said quietly, letting honey drip into his tone. He didn't hear Bella's footsteps come toward the door to open it. He opened the door slowly and peered inside. Bella was standing between the door and the bed, looking at the ensembles strewn across the mattress.

"Love?" Edward said quietly. He walked over to her and grabbed his shoulders, spinning her around to face him. Tears were flowing down her cheeks silently. Edward pushed her hair away from her face, where it was clinging to the wet skin, and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears.

"Bella," he said softly. She didn't look at him, and the tears kept streaming. "Love, look at me." When she didn't, Edward tilted her chin so she wouldn't really have a choice. Her eyes were wide with fear. "What's wrong?" Edward asked.

A sob broke the silent barrier Bella had, and she fell into Edward's arms. She cried into his chest, where her face was buried. Edward didn't really know what to do, so he held her and rocked her until she settled.

"Bella?" he asked again when the sobs subsided. She shook her head against his chest. She started muttering something, but Edward couldn't tell what she was saying because of her facial placement. He leaned back. "What did you say?" Bella shook her head.

"I can't do it." she whispered. A sudden chill filled Edward. What did she mean, she couldn't do it? What couldn't she do? "Edward, I can't do this." she said again.

"What can't you do?" Edward knew her answer would kill him, but he needed to hear it out loud.

"I can't find anything to wear." she said quietly.

Edward stood stunned for a full minute, looking at Bella with a blank expression. Then he threw his head back and laughed.

"That's all?" he asked, a smile on his face. Bella nodded sheepishly. "Well, my love, you look wonderful in what you're wearing." Bella looked at him, confused.

"I'm not dressed yet." she said. Edward looked down at what she was wearing. A plush, purple robe was wrapped around her body and tied with an old tie of Edward's that he had not worn for six years.

"Well then, let's get you dressed." he said. Holding Bella tightly to him, Edward turned them so they were both facing the bed. He looked at the outfits for a moment and then picked up the dark blue dress that was laying by the head of the bed. "This one." he said, and then he kissed Bella's cheek and walked out of the room.

Bella put on the blue dress, and it clung in all the right places. She pulled her hair into a simple braid, and went into the bathroom to wash her face. The mental break-down had really tired Bella, and she thought about (again) how impossible the night was turning out to be...

The last time Bella went to court with Edward had been a disaster. And at that time, she had been only Edward's servant. Now, she would have to go and appear to be trying to fit in next to Edward but being purposely unsuccessful... as to not arise suspicion. Bella had not yet entirely gotten used to Edward's presence, he was so... inhuman. _Obviously_ he seemed inhuman, he wasn't human.

But still, Bella thought. The night was doomed to be a disaster before it even began.

Edward knocked on the door, pushing it open.

"Bella?" he asked, his hand over his eyes as he attempted to not peek. "Are you decent?" Bella looked down.

"I guess." she whispered to her bare feet. Edward lowered his hand from his face and smirked at Bella.

"No... I don't think you are." he said softly, crossing the room in one swift movement. His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her flush against him. His eyes were stormy. Edward lowered his lips to Bella's ear. "You are far from decent, Miss Swan." he said in a low voice. He slid his other arm around her back and dragged it slowly up and down the line of her spine. Bella gasped.

Edward's lips traveled down her neck to the juncture at the base. He placed a single butterfly kiss there and leaned back to evaluate Bella's expression. Her eyes were lidded, and she was breathing heavily. Edward chuckled.

"Are you planning on putting on shoes some time this evening?" Edward asked Bella. She seemed to snap out of her reverie immediately and blushed.

"They hurt my feet." she said softly.

"Well," Edward said, "I guess I'll just have to tend to your feet when the evening is over." he smirked and Bella flushed an even darker red.

Edward led the way out of the bathroom, his arm wrapped firmly around her waist and he set her on the bed, between a mermaid green dress and a pink tulle contraption. He leaned down and grabbed dark blue stiletto shoes from under the bed and slid them into place on Bella's feet.

"Thanks." she murmured.

"Any time." Edward said, his eyes burning into hers. Bella looked away and bit her lip to keep from blushing.

After a quick assessment, it was decided that all the materials needed for the night were with them, and they could leave and go to court for the evening.

Victoria was holding a huge function for James. It consisted of many non-humans prancing around and throwing themselves at each other while pretending to have class, and humans serving as outlets, outlets of physical frustration, mental aggravation, and other dangerous activities. A man-fight was scheduled after dinner as a form of entertainment for the non-humans.

Edward had been to many of these functions in the past, but it had been a couple of months since he'd attended one. He always got away with saying he had certain things to do. However, each excuse seemed to pass the previous with absurdity, and Victoria was beginning to catch on. To avoid Victoria from thinking that he had become disloyal to Victoria, he decided to bring Bella to an event.

Outside the main entrance to the hall where the function was being held, Edward turned quickly and pulled Bella into an empty room.

"Bella, I'm sorry about tonight." he said.

"Don't worry about it." Bella said quietly. "I'll be fine." she smiled.

"Bella," Edward started, his face twisted in pain at the words in his mouth. "I have to -- we are--- damn it! How do you say something like this?" he ranted. Bella reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand. She smiled at him.

"Edward, it is going to be fine." she said firmly. "Now, let's go to court, shall we?" Bella grabbed Edward's hand and led him back out to the door.

"Bella." Edward said, tugging on her hand right before she entered. "This function is for James. It's not going to be human friendly. The only reason I'm coming to it tonight is because Victoria is starting to get suspicious. The only reason I would ever bring you to an event like this is so Victoria can see, and hopefully buy completely, that you are my servant and nothing else. I'm going to have to be cruel to you. And a lot of the others will probably be mean to you as well."

Edward put his head in his hands. "I'm such a horrible monster for doing this to you." he said, the words muffled by his hands.

"Edward." Bella said. Edward didn't move, let alone look up. "Edward Cullen you need to look at me before we walk through those doors." he continued to look down. Bella sighed. "If you don't look at me right now I'm going to go tell Victoria everything and let her do what she wants, Edward Anthony Cullen. Look at me." the venom in Bella's voice was potent, and Edward looked up in sheer surprise at the hostile tone.

"It. Is. Going. To. Be. Fine. Stop. Worrying." Bella spoke slowly and clearly, enunciating each word with mild disgust. "Don't call yourself a monster, Edward. We already talked about this, I knew what was happening before I got dressed today. I didn't forget, and I'm okay with it. I don't want Victoria to hurt either one of us, and if this is the only way to prevent that, then this is what we are going to do. Case closed.

"Now, let's go to court. My feet are already hurting." Bella smiled and pushed Edward through the doors, bowing her head in humility and following three steps behind him.

--

The hall was beautifully decorated. The large chandelier was dripping with crystal, making it shine and glisten most beautifully. Red ribbons were draped around everything, the chairs, across the fancy tables, and over all the windows. The theme of the party seemed to be red and white. Everything that was deep red was accented with white-silver designs, and everything white was improved with dark red. The contrast was almost startling.

Bella found herself surrounded quickly by the fast movement of non-humans. If she didn't look too closely, it was easy to overlook the servants faces were coarser than the guests, or that there was a frailty to the less beautifully dressed than those who, like Edward, were magnificent in the light from the candles and chandelier.

--

Dinner was a very confusing affair. Being Edward's servant, Bella occupied the seat next to him. However, he didn't speak an single word to her the entire night. He hung on the edge of Victoria's words, however, and made sure to shower her with overdue affection. Bella told herself over and over that it was just a show, that Edward was an exceptionally wonderful actor, and this was the plan to keep them safe from discovery.

But that didn't stop Bella from feeling a little jealous.

Now, it is well known that every creature is effected in some respect by alcoholic consumption. Fire-bloods have no immunity to this. In fact, the only creature that has ever existed that had complete immunity to alcoholic consumption was the menuska, a small bird-like creature that eats only sap from oak trees and lives in the trees from which they thrive.

In fact, fire-bloods tend to get a little more violent the more extreme with their blood colours the more intoxicated they are. For the most part, it is difficult for even another fire-blood to distinguish between red, blue, and gold flame bloods. But with a little bit of alcohol, it becomes easy for even humans to distinguish by behaviour.

Bella was not allowed to drink any alcohol since she was a human. However, the rest of the room quickly divided into three groups. One group set up races from one side of the hall to the other. Another group sat around discussing their feelings, and professing their undying love for one another. The third group became secluded into a corner, and they kept throwing hostile glances at the group that was running around.

The humans, since they were not intoxicated, did not join in any of these groups. Edward had mostly abstained from the alcohol, so he remained next to Bella, the only difference in his behaviour was his right hand that slid over to rest on her thigh.

Half-blood fire-walkers are extremely rare, and the only one present was Victoria. Though she didn't join in the red-flame bloods activities of plotting, she became exceedingly talkative, and more open with her hostile emotions. Her eyes were burning as she looked at the only two remaining guests at the table. Victoria strode over to where Edward and Bella were sitting, plopping down across the table from Bella.

"Isabella Swan." Victoria said. Bella knew better than to look Victoria in the eye, she had enough experience with punishment for insubordination in the past. Edward's hand gripped Bella's leg tightly.

"Yes, ma'am." Bella said to the tablecloth.

"Do you remember when you were a little girl and you got in trouble for playing with my books?" Victoria sneered. Bella nodded. "So do I. I remember coming into my rooms and seeing a little brat that I owned playing with my favourite book. And then I remember kicking you across the room." Victoria giggled. "You were too young to be reading such books." Edward's hand was starting to cut off circulation to Bella's leg, and she could feel tingling in her foot that indicated it was going to sleep.

"Not that you would need to read that book now." Victoria said. "You've got Edward." she wasn't giggling now. Now, Victoria was glaring at Edward. "How come you haven't come round in awhile, baby? I miss you." Victoria crawled over the table and pushed herself into Edward's lap. Bella's foot started to hurt with the rush of blood that came when Edward released his grip before Victoria could see it.

Victoria straddled Edward, her legs hanging over the sides of the chair, and pushed her lips down onto his. Bella watched in horror as she saw Victoria's muscles work in her jaw until both Victoria's mouth and Edward's mouth was open. Then Bella saw a flash of a tongue, and Victoria moaned loudly, grinding against Edward.

Finally having enough, Bella excused herself quickly and bolted for the door. She could feel herself breaking down inside, watching Edward kiss Victoria like that had been pure and unadulterated torture, and Bella wanted nothing more than to get out of this room immediately, throw up in the near future, and leave completely in the only slightly-less-near future.

She felt hot tears sliding down her cheeks as she pushed the door open and ran as quickly as she could in blue stilettos to Edward's wing.

After she got to Edward's chamber, only having to dodge one sexually aroused fire-blood, Bella slammed the door and sunk to the floor. Pulling off her shoes and wiping her hair out of her eyes so she could properly tend to the tears that were staining her cheeks, Bella let out a sob. Edward was some fine actor, that was for sure.

Stripping her dropping it on the floor with her shoes, Bella padded softly to her room, where she pulled out a pen and piece of paper. She stared at the sheet, willing herself to write something down. But she didn't know what to write. It was too soon after the initial hurt to write anything at the moment.

When a tear dropped down and warped the paper, Bella growled softly and crumpled up the sheet, tossing it and the pen across the room. Feeling mildly better at the sound the pen made when it hit the wall, Bella reached down and grabbed another pen, throwing it twice as hard at the same wall. The popping sound was genuinely entertaining, and Bella felt a small giggle start in the back of her throat.

Bella repeated the pen chucking activity until she ran out of pens, and then she got up to survey the damage. There were two dents in the wall where the pens had hit. She smiled. Then she threw herself back on her bed and cried herself to sleep. She had even forgot her pajamas.

* * *

**Author's Note:** sad... yes. Very sad. However- there are a few sides to every story, so don't hate Edward just yet. Wait until he screws up, cause it will happen... that just wasn't it yet. Hate Victoria...? Well, go right ahead! lol. Anyways... I have exciting news! I'm going to college! yay!!!! lol. And I'm done with the hectic crazy part of the year and after Spring Break (cause that is what is officially going on with me right now) will start graduation hectic crazy and then no more high school!! YAY!!!! (I'm mondo happy, for sure!) Okay, so Happy Spring Break if you are a student that is celebrating Spring Break this week, Happy Belated Spring Break if you are a student that has already celebrated spring break, and Happy to be Spring Break if you are a student who will be celebrating spring break after today. And if you aren't a student... you're just lucky. lol. Okay, Question time!!!

**What is your favourite high school/middle school memory?**

That for me is a quick and easy answer. Band camp. Or rather, marching band season in general. We had a lot of success and a LOT of fun this year, which was amazing considering that this was my last year of marching band... so I'm pretty happy about that.

Right, now you have to answer this question!!! (: Send me lotsa reviews telling me how happy you are that I have finally updated!

Until next time (which will be very soon)!!!


	11. Renee

**Renee**

**Author's Note: **Okay... busy busy times!! I got back from my college visit on Tuesday, and then I took off for Texas yesterday. Right now I'm sitting at my grandfather's computer (old decrepit thing it is) and typing this up for you all! It's a long chapter, and there will be periodic author's notes within it. Right, so before I start with the story... I dunno if you all noticed this at all, but I don't have a disclaimer anywhere actually in the chapters of this story. However, **there is a disclaimer on my profile**. It's pretty generic and works for everything, cause I don't own anything 'cept the plot lines I come up with... which I don't even know if I can take complete credit for... thanks to my lovely friends that give me ideas all the time and stuff... Anyway, **this part is in Edward's POV**. I'm sure you all are ready for me to get on with the story, right? Right.

* * *

I was just nervous about the whole ordeal. Having plenty of excess time on my hands, I had spent the years between meeting Bella for the first time (when she was a child) and today reading and studying humans. Mainly, I was just curious. But I learned a lot. For example, the water that always kept in her eyes which was as reflective as glass was there because of the tear ducts that humans had next to their eyes, which produced a watery substance that kept their eyes wet.

I knew Bella was an average human, she had no mental or behavioural disorders that affected her emotions or social development skills. And therefore, as we were in what would be considered a wishfully exclusive relationship (I would cheerily kill anyone who tried to seperate us), she would not be very happy watching me ignore her and pay all my attention to Victoria. And I was sure I wasn't all that happy about that myself.

It was at the point in the evening when Bella was taking longer than what I assumed was necessary getting ready that I started to map out our escape.

As far as I had gotten in planning by the time we left for court, our escape plan was fool proof. Nothing could bust it, and at this point there was absolutely no escaping the fact that I could not come up with anything...

The entire dinner was torture, despite everything Bella had assured me. Perhaps she was okay enough with Victoria being overbearingly ridiculous and simply downright rude... but I was not. All I could thing about was how happy I would be when this wretched evening was over.

Victoria made sure that no human received any alcoholic beverage during dinner. But she served the rest of us so much booze it was actually sickening to think about. I, however, avoided getting actually drunk by only drinking one glass of wine. Still, my thoughts of telling Bella how I actually felt about her (which I still had not done yet. In studying the human mind, I discovered that they needed time to build strong emotions, it was never an immediate thing.) Instead, I settled for holding her knee under the table.

I knew alcohol would make Victoria a little... well, more armorous than usual. But I hardly expected her to crawl across the table and into my lap. Already uncomfortable, Bella left graciously. I was happy that she didn't sit through and watch Victoria attack me. I wasn't so keen on being there myself.

Something in the pit of my stomach felt off and I watched the door close behind Bella. Suddenly, I didn't want her to go. Her shoulders looked too straight, as if she was holding back something. I realised with almost frightening clarity that Victoria had gotten to her, and on purpose.

And I had allowed it.

Feeling sick with both Victoria and myself, I pushed her off of me.

"Baby," she started, her lips forming into a classic (and very unattractive) pout.

"What was that?" I fumed. She looked at me blankly for a moment. Then she smirked.

"Oh, that human just needs to know her place." she said, and then she leaned in again. I pushed her away.

"That human is my-" I cut off before I could say what I wanted to say: my love, my life, my reason for a happy existance. Instead I recovered.

"My _servant_." I spat the word, wanting it to get off my tongue as quickly as possible. It didn't fit there, and it definitely didn't fit while describing my sweet Bella. She was never a servant to me. Victoria scoffed.

"Your servant needs to learn her place. She's in love with you." Victoria giggled. "She's just a stupid human." she said.

"I don't care if she's just a human, Victoria. She's my human, and you shouldn't treat my things with such malice." I tried my hardest to keep a cool head. _Just a human_... Bella was a world and a half. She was so sweet, and caring, and loving, and kind...

"Oh geez, you act like she doesn't deserve her fate." Victoria said. Her eyes connected with mine. They were dilated.

"What do you mean?" I asked slowly.

"Don't you know the story about Isabella Swan?" Victoria said. I shook my head Bella had a story? I knew everyone here had a story... but for some reason I had always excluded Bella from everyone. Victoria smiled...

**(Author's Note: Hey guys. Edward's POV is done for now. I know it wasn't very exciting... but all the happenings at court were described in the last chapter, and I didn't want to do that again... I just wanted to share with you a bit of what Edward was thinking during the meal and then what happened after Bella left. Now, this is where it gets a little complicated. The POV is going to change more than once, and at least once, the POV won't be identified. I'll tell you when it changes, but not whom it changes to. Anyway, this part is going to be a little complicated and probably a bit confusing. But it's really important that you keep up or you'll miss out on the rest of the story. Good luck!!)**

It was cold. The old space heater died a long while ago, and it was nearly the middle of January. In Forks, Washington. Hardly the time and place for no heat. I shivered a little, wrapping my blanket more tightly around me. God, it was cold.

Waiting for the test results was torture. I thought of all the reasons I wanted it to be positive... and all the reasons I needed it to be negative.

I wanted the baby. I had always wanted a baby. I wanted a child more than I wanted my own future. More than I wanted to go to college, or graduate high school. Or get married.

Being a proper Christian, my parents taught me to pray for what I wanted. They thought I wanted to get into a good college, graduate high school with honours. They thought I wanted a good and prosperous future, one that was centered around God and Jesus. They thought I wanted to marry a Godly man, an Eagle Scout who was an engineer or a doctor, one that could support me and the babies I would have after we were married.

The babies I would have in the unforseeable future. The babies I would have in due time.

The results were finally ready. I glanced at the small coloured indicator, then at the directions. Then I looked back at the indicator. Back and forth, three or four times. But it never really sunk in.

I was having a baby.

Before I could manage to scrounge up all the good things about having a baby, all the reasons I wanted to have a baby more than anything else, before I could remind myself what I had been thinking only seconds... or minutes... or hell, hours ago- time had lost meaning or reason at this point- the panic set in.

God, I couldn't have a baby.

I didn't have the money to support a child. Hell, I didn't have the guts to give birth. And then there was the explaination to my parents. Or to Christopher. I couldn't tell them.

My parents would be reasonably upset, obviously. Their only daughter, whom they raised to be a good Christian and practise abstinence before marriage, was pregnant out of wedlock. Their good Christian daughter, the responsible, quiet one with good grades, had a baby growing in her belly. The legacy of the family was blown because their great daughter had gotten pregnant with some man's baby.

Great.

I suppose I could explain that to them. They'd be mad, sure, but then they'd mellow out, and not be so angry or disappointed. Just accepting of the situation. They were good Christians, and that's what good Christian's did... right?

But how do you explain to a man who thinks his arranged fiancee is not only pure but also entirely unaware of the popular rituals of reproduction? '_Hey honey. I know that we've never... well consumated our relationship-' 'Oh dear, who taught you that word? How do you know anything about that?' 'Well, I'm sort of pregnant.' _Yes, that would go over really well.

**(Author's Note: This is THREE MONTHS LATER, and the POV has changed.)**

The luncheon where we would be announcing both our hurried union and the reason (though we would never call it that) was occuring today. We sat in the small car, Renee's hand in mine over the consol. Her hand was shaking slightly. I rubbed the back of it with my thumb.

"Renee, don't worry." I said. I brought her hand up to my lips, and kissed the diamond ring that rested on her third finger. It was still a little big, even though her fingers swelled daily as she used only salt to flavour her foods. She looked up at me, her green eyes filled with fear.

"They're going to talk." she said. I tensed for a second. I knew we should have waited.

"Let them." I said firmly, looking back at the road. I didn't want her to see the passing of regret in my eyes.

"You don't mind?" she asked. I shook my head. After I was sure my expresssion was controlled, I looked over at her and smiled.

"I love you." I said. She smiled back, but it looked a little strained. She was probably just nervous.

My family had never been too keen on the match. Renee and I had grown up together, in the same church, in the same Sunday school class and the same Conformation class. We had always been in the Christmas play together, first playing the children of Eli (the inn keeper who let Mary and Joseph stay in his barn), then playing the deputies and hands that worked for Eli when our Sunday school class did a western themed Christmas story, and then Mary and Joseph themselves when we were freshman in high school. Last year I had played Eli in the Christmas play, and Renee had played my wife, Sarah.

We were taught the same things about everything. Family, morals, raising children, how to keep a strong marriage, how to pray, how to be a good Christian, what to look for in a wife or husband... we had been bred to marry each other. It was as good as written, because it was going to happen one way or another.

Renee and I had a past, a good strong history that would only keep us together. When we were little, our first kiss was with each other, our favourite memories consisted of each other, we played together growing up, and by high school we were good friends.

I dated around during high school. So did Renee. But we still ended up together in the end. Granted, neither of us actually picked the other to marry, our parents did, but neither of us was devestated by the arrangement.

Renee was a little sad, but I blamed that more on her ex-boyfriend than her lack of enthusiam toward marrying me. The break-up hadn't been the easiest for her, and she seemed to think about her ex-boyfriend often. His name was Charlie... something or other. I didn't like to think about him. And there really was no reason to. Renee loved me, she was married to me, and she was pregnant with my child.

Thinking about my son or daughter (who was six months from being born) made me remember his or her possible conception... our first time. I flushed at the memory. I wasn't embarrassed by it, not anymore. I had been married for three months, so the idea of having sex with my wife didn't embarrass me.

The idea of having sex out of wedlock, though, still made me a little uncomfortable.

I told myself over and over that even though it had been out of wedlock, we had gotten married the next day, practically as soon as we both had woken up and gotten dressed hastily.

**(A/N: Hey guys. The POV is the same through this, but it's a flashback within a flashback... hey, I warned you it was going to be confusing.)**

I was lounging in the living room, reading some biography of Abraham Lincoln when Renee came storming into the room. Her hair was in a disarray, and she was carrying a small suitcase. At sight of her, I stood and walked over to where she was standing. Her eyes were bright, and she looked as if she had been crying.

"Renee?" I asked. She didn't look at me, but she was muttering something. It sounded like my name, so I grabbed her shoulders and was slightly unnerved to find them shaking.

"Renee?" I asked again. She snapped out of it, and looked at me. Her eyes were unfocused.

"We need to leave." she said. I looked at her, hard.

"What do you mean, Renee?" I asked her. She shook my hands off her shoulders and walked to the kitchen. I followed behind her.

Both of my parents were at the sink, washing the afternoon dishes before dinner. My father loved doing dishes, and would often convince my mother to bake cookies or pie in the middle of the day so he would have dishes to do. Then he would talk her into doing the dishes with him. My father claimed he loved dishes and sweets, but both my mother and I knew that he actually just loved being with my mom.

"Mr. and Mrs. Barrie," Renee started.

"Please, honey. Mr. and Mrs. Barrie sounds so formal. Robert and Janice is fine." my father said. Renee nodded curtly and corrected herself.

"Robert, Janice, would it be alright with you if Christopher and I took a weekend to ourselves?" my mother spun around to look at Renee. My father stopped scrubbing the bowl in his hands and stood stock still.

"Well..." my mother started. "I don't know. We'll talk about it and tell you after dinner. Is there any specific reason?" she asked, setting down the towel she was using to dry off the dishes and walking over to Renee and me.

"I'm actually concerned about our relationship. Like, how can we know we should get married if we can't spend a weekend together, just the two of us?" Renee said innocently. I thought about all the insuations of that, and tried my absolute hardest to keep from flushing. I'm not sure I succeeded.

My father seemed to thaw, and he started scrubbing the dish again, laughing as he did.

"Janice, I think it would be alright if they spent some time together before the wedding, don't you? Certainly they should have similar luxuries as we did before our own wedding." he said.

My mother blushed and shook her head. Renee tensed, but I was the only one to feel it as my hand was on her shoulder.

"Alright." my mother said. Renee relaxed immeditely and then turned and headed out the door. I followed her to the front porch, and watched as she got into my car, throwing her luggage in the back seat. Then she buckled her seatbelt and looked at me expectantly. Apparently she meant this weekend.

I dashed back upstairs and grabbed my bag, emptying it of books and papers and filling it with two changes of clothes and a pair of pajamas. Then I grabbed my toothbrush and deodarant and ran full out back downstairs and into the car, following Renee's lead and throwing my bag in the back and tearing out of the driveway and down the street quickly.

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**Author's Note:** Yes, that is the end of this chapter. The main reason for this is I have to get offline now so my mom can get online, and then my grandfather will be getting online and then my brother will be getting online and I won't be able to get online again for a very long time (like tomorrow or the next day or the next day at the soonest) and I really REALLY want to get something out tonight. So I'm updating now. Crazy time to, I know. But there it is. There is more. There will be more. And you will either love it or hate it or think it's okay... but it will be there to love or hate or think it's okay...

and I'd say reviews make it go faster, but I'm sure you all know that! So please PLEASE remember to review! It makes my whole happy world spin around quite nicely. lol. Okay, really quick... QUESTION TIME!!

**What is the book / movie that has most influenced the way you think? (It can't be Twilight or any book from the Twilight saga, btw!)**

Right, so it used to be Harry Potter... but then I kind of grew out of the whole read Harry Potter daily thing and now I only read them weekly (lol I'm a nerd) and now it's whatever book I'm reading or just finished reading. As of this moment, it's Paper Towns, by John Green. That book really made me think about the way I view people, and I've actually spent some time trying to get to know people the way they really are, and not the way I percieved them to be. Which leads to something unprecedented... MULTIPLE QUESTIONS IN ONE CHAPTER!!!

**_What does it mean to glorify a person? Do you do it? Who do you find glorifying? Why?_**

I'm not going to answer these questions here. I'll send you a Review Reply that has the answers in them if you'd like, but if you want to know, you have to answer the questions. (You only have to answer the first one. The other three are mine unless you want to answer them. You can do that too.)

Anyway, I'll be updating my profile soon to include these questions (and maybe answers if I get enough reviews) so check out my profile!

Also- my profile is where the disclaimer is. If you're curious about that, go to my profile!! (: Until next time!!!!


	12. Renee Part 2 Let's Run Away

**Renee Part 2 / Let's Run Away**

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I'm back with more (yay). I'm so sorry about the break in the story, it was a power-for the-computation-device struggle... I lost (nay). Right-so... **POV change** now. And this is two weeks into the future from the flashback within the flashback. We're actually **two months and two weeks prior to the original CPOV flashback** (that would be Christopher's POV, btw.). Confused yet? lol. Right... so I skipped the gorier stuff. Main reason- T-rated fanfic!!! I gotta keep it somewhat clean! Anyway, please remember to review! I LOVE reviews!! (:

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I slipped into Christopher's room undetected. The lights were all off so I switched on the bedside lamp and perched on the foot of the bed. He rolled over onto his back (he usually slept on his stomach) so that his left calf hit my leg. Christopher stirred and sat up so he was looking at me.

"Renee?" he asked, using one hand to reach out to me, while the other rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Hey." I whispered. I felt heat stain my face as I thought about the task at hand. In my entire life, I"d never outright lied to Christopher, only kept small truths from reaching his ears.

"What's up?" Christopher said. His palm was resting at the juncture of my jaw and throat, his finders stretched out along the lenght of my neck. His thrumb rubbed my jawline in a reassuring sort of way.

"Christopher, I..." I trailed off as my throat closed with tears.

"Hey, hey Rennie, it's okay." Christopher said, using the nickname he gave me when we were in kindergarten. I felt the tears come quicker and I tried to swallow back a sob.

Christopher leaned forward quickly, lifting his other hand to the small of my back and shifting his hand so it was cradling my head. He kissed me full on the mouth.

It seemed to me he was trying to coax all the bad things out of me, and prelace them with ideas of him. Of our future together. The tears continued to run down my face as I pulled away.

"Christopher, we need to talk." I said.

"Okay." he whispered. His eyes were wary as he watched my expression. I decided to just spit it out.

"I'm pregnant."

It wasn't five minutes before he was fully dressed and packed, car keys in hand.

"Leave a note for my parents." he said. He didn't look at me when he said it, he was too busy rushing around, getting his toothbrush and deodarant.

"Okay." I said simply. I walked to the old desk, the one that had belonged to Christopher's grandfather, and dug out a piece of paper and a pen.

_Dear Robert and Janice,_

_I'm sorry for leaving like this, without any real explaina--_

I crumpled the paper and dug out another.

_Robert and Jani--_ I crossed that out and started again.

_Mr. and Mrs. Bar-- _crossed that out too.

_Bob and Janice,_

_Christopher and I must leave now to get married spur of the moment. Sorry to dissappear in the middle of the night_ -it was after one in the morning-_ like this, but I'm pregnant and because of this your son and I must get hitched before we tell my parents. Also on that note- could you please not tell my parents I had sex with your son before we got married? That'd be so great. Thanks much. Love, Renee._

"I'm not sure they'd be thrilled with that." Christopher said over my shoulder, chuckling lightly. "You spelled disappear wrong."

"What's so thrilling about this?" I asked glumly, crossing out the extra 's' in disappear. Christopher sofltly tilted my face so I could look at him over my shoulder.

"We're getting married. Running away together in the dead of night. It's kind of exciting." he said, kissing me slowly. "Romantic, even." he tacked on as he pulled away from me.

He replaced the letter I wrote with a short one. _Mom, Dad,_ it said_ Renee and I can't wait any longer. We'll be back soon enough. Chris_.

And so, hand in hand, we stole out of the house and slipped off to Seattle to get married, while the silent chanting in my head told me this was the furthest thing from romantic.

**(A/N: Hey! Did you guys follow? Or like? Well, there's more! Just not right now. Now we go back to the present, where Bella and Edward and Victoria are! No POV right now.)**

Listening to Bella's sotry forced Edward to turn to alcohol at a dangerous rate. By the time Victoria had passed out from drunken exhaustion, Edward was well on his way to drinking enough alcohol to magically turn into cleaning material.

**(A/N: The Victoria version of the story was not the Renee/Christopher thing going on. I think you all noticed that was a somewhat different thing going there. It's background. It's, like, pre-Bella story. But what you all just read is NOT what Edward heard. Just wanted to clear that up.)**

Seconds after Victoria was snoring, Edward downed his sixth glass of wine and stood, hardly stumbling.

"Bella..." he muttered, wobbling out the door quickly and back to his wing. It wasn't difficult to get out of the hall undetected, most of the non-humans had either found some form of personal entertainment or were in some drinking-induced coma. They all were strewn across one another snoring loudly, and twisting every once in awhile.

Edward slipped down the empty hallway to his chambers, leaning against the wall for support and guidance. More than once he fell off the wall entirely and landed on the floor, facedown. Then he would mutter Bella's name softly and get up again, readjusting himself so he wouldn't slip so easily the next time, and start for his room again.

He got to his rooms after ten minutes of fighting the alcohol sloshing around in his stomach.

"Bella." he slurred, pushing open his door and slamming it shut with his foot.

Edward pulled on his tie and unbuttoned his shirt, untucking it from the waistband of his pants. He pushed open the door to Bella's room. It was dark, so he flipped on the overhead light.

"Bella." he said again. Happy with himself for not messing up her name, he laughed a little.

Drowsy, but not so much so that she was unaware of his presence, Bella awoke and sat up suddenly. Her eyes were still red from crying.

"What, Edward?" she said, her voice full of venom. Any other time, the venom might have deterred Edward and his quest, but tonight, tonight he was blissfully smashed.

"Bella, I love you." he said. Bella's eyebrows cinched.

"What did you say?" she asked him.

"Bella I love-" Edward stopped, shook his head, and started again. "I love you." he said it slowly and looked up at Bella, grinning as he knew he hit all the correct syllables. She looked stunned for a moment, then narrowed her eyes.

"Then what the hell was going on with Victoria earlier?" she shouted. Not smashed enough to miss the volume, nobody could be smashed enough to miss that volume, Edward flinched visibly.

"Bella, I'm sorry about that." he said, his voice dripping with remorse. Then he grabbed her hands. "Run away with me." he said.

Bella looked at him for a long time before responding.

"What?" she said geniusly.

"Run away with me, Bella." Edward said, now nearly completely sober. His eyes were focused only on Bella's, and they were just as smouldering as ever.

"Run... away... with you?" Bella said slowly, testing each word on her tongue before listening to the entire sentence as a whole. "Run away with you."

"Yes, Bella. You and me. Together. No Victoria. No James. Just you and me." Edward said, his eyes pleading. Bella stayed silent for a long time. "Dammit, Bella. Run away with me! Just us! God, say something!" Edward said.

**(A/N: I love this! I can make a bunch of little cliffy's and yet not finish with the chapter... it's so much fun! Even though it probably is insanely confusing. Well, this is another flashback. Charlie's POV. Remember him? He's the ex-boyfriend. This takes place after the luncheon Christopher was talking about earlier [but only just]. It's really short. Charlie doesn't say much. Like... ever.)**

My best friend's younger sister heard it first from Christopher's younger sister, Guinevere. Guin told Rachel (Billy's younger sister) that Renee (my ex-girlfriend) was hitched and knocked up to Christopher Barrie. Ugh, that dumb girl.

I mean, how could she? Sleep with me and then four months later show up in my life again as a married pregnant brawd. Good lord.

And that would make her Mrs. Christopher Barrie.

Mrs. Renee _Barrie_. Oh, that sounded disgusting.

**(A/N: Told you he doesn't like to talk. Well, back to Renee and Christopher. This is Renee's POV, btw. lol. Fun stuff. And this... is the luncheon.)**

"Just rip it off, like a band-aid." I said to Christopher as we pulled into the driveway. He didn't say anything, but he squeezed my hand in assurance.

We walked to the house hand in hand, uet we stood two feet apart at the door. I squeezed his hand.

"Like a band-aid." I said again.

The door opened.

Both Robert and Janice were there, standing next to each other, their matching suits both pressed and equally intimidating.

"Like a band-aid." Christopher whispered.

**(A/N: still luncheon. No POV now)**

"Renee! Christopher! We missed you!" Janice said quickly, pulling Renee away from Christopher so she could hug her. Robert walked out onto the porch and shook Christopher's hand, the one that had become vacant when Renee let go of it.

"Well, son..." Robert started, then he made eye contact with Janice over the kid's shoulders. Janice was throwing daggars.

"Congratulations." Robert said.

"You know?" Renee said suddenly.

"About the wedding? Of course." Janice said. "I only wish you would have let us be there for it..." she said, until she caught sight of her husband. He shook his head in a discreet manner. "But that's water under the bridge now."

"Well," Robert said in a commanding voice, one that left to surprise to the fact he raised five boys and one girl. "Shall we?" he asked, and then led Janice into the house.

"Like a band-aid." Renee said to Christopher. Christopher sighed, and then kissed the top of Renee's head. Leading her into the living room after his parents.

Janice sat down in the tall backed, old leather chair, which Robert stood behind. They were a picture of domestic regality. Janice sat upright, legs crossed at the ankles, and hands folded daintily in her lap. Robert stood with his shoulders back so firmly that it looked as if he had a two-by-four shoved into his jacket. The dancing candlelight caught the silver in their hair, bringing it out with such grace.

Renee and Christopher sat awkwardly on the dark red leather couch, across from Robert and Janice. Christopher had his hand stretched out to wrap around Renee's waist, but as they were sitting on opposite sides of the couch, it was rather uncomfortable. Renee's copper hair was illuminated also by the dancing firelight, but it wasn't nearly as impressive as Robert or Janice's locks. Christopher's hair looked thicker and more luminious, as did his face.

Renee shivered.

The grandfather clock chimed from the foyer.

Robert and Janice watched the young couple carefully. Christopher's hand had found solace behind Renee, who looked supremely uncomfortable.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Robert asked.

"No, thank you, father." Christopher said. Renee shook her head.

There was a minute of awkward silence, where each individual looked around the room and avoided each other's gaze.

"So..." Janice said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"How are you?" Robert said.

"I'm pregnant." Renee offered suddenly. Janice was taken aback by surprise. Robert smiled widely.

"Well, I'll be!" Robert exclaimed. "A baby. That's wonderful news!" Christopher rubbed Renee's back reassuringly.

"I'm going to be a grandmother..." Janice said. "What a thought!" she smiled.

"How far along are you, Renee?" Robert asked.

"Uhm," Bella cleared her throat. "Three months."

Janice's smile dropped off her face immeditely. Robert was a little more than stunned. His mouth fell open in surprise.

"Almost three months." Christopher corrected. Janice recovered first.

"Three months?" she said, her voice hard as flint. "But the only way that would be possible is if the two of you..." Janice gasped and left the room. She hurried back in with a pocket book calender. Robert was still as stone, staring openly at his son.

"You got married on the twenty-first, when you ran off to elope. But that was only two months or so ago." She looked up at Renee menacingly.

"It doesn't matter at this point, Jane." Robert stepped in, finally recovering. "What's done is done." he tore his eyes away from his son to look at Renee. Then he did something amazing. He smiled. "Shall we eat some lunch?" he said, walking out of the living room casually. Janice threw a look at Christopher that suggested he was in deep trouble, and then she spared a glance for Renee that made her think she was a slut.

Christopher scooted over to Renee's side of the couch, pulling her flush into his side.

"Like a band-aid?" he muttered into Renee's ear.

Renee took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Then she stood up.

"It's not Christopher's baby!" she shouted.

**(A/N: Cliff hangers ROCK! lol. Okay... so back to the present. Bella. Edward. Running away. IF Bella can wrap her mind around it. lol)**

_"Dammit, Bella. Run away with me! Just us! God, say something!" Edward said. (was what Edward said last just to remind you)_

Bella unfroze suddenly and grabbed Edward by the loose tie around his neck. She kissed him hard and fast on the mouth. Just as quickly, she pulled away.

"Victoria?" she asked.

"Forget her." Edward said, leaning back in for another kiss. They laid together for a few minutes, just kissing and pushing against each other. Edward's lips traveled down the length of Bella's throat.

"James?" she said.

"Never again." Edward said, placing hot, open mouth kisses against her collarbone.

"Just you and me, together, openly... forever?" Bella whispered.

"Yes." Edward whispered back. He leaned away just enough to look her in the eyes. She was crying. "Bella?" Edward said, concerned immeditely.

"I dunno, Edward." she whispered. "You can't leave, Victoria will find you. She'll kill you." tears were running down her cheeks quite quickly now.

"Bella, Bella, shhh." Edward cooed. "Don't worry about them. We'll find a way to be together. There's a place. I've heard of it before. If we can get to this place, we'll be safe from Victoria and James."

"How is that possible?" Bella wailed.

"It just is. Bella, I love you." Edward said.

"I love you too, Edward." Bella said.

"So let's run away together."

"But--" Edward pushed himself along the lenght of Bella's body, and pressed his lips against hers, silencing her.

"Let's run away together." he said again when he pulled away.

After a long moment of looking into each other's eyes, Bella nodded.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The End! okay, I'm totally kidding. But, we're actually getting kind of close to the end. It'll be just a few chapters from now, probably. Anyway, business stuff: Disclaimer- on profile. Any questions/answers you missed from previous chapters- on profile. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION IDEAS, they'd be much appreciated, so leave me a Review or a PM and I'll try to get them in here!!! AND I'll **credit you and promote your story/stories if you give me a title** (along with reviewing it myself) **here on my story**! I really want to get to 100+ Reviews for this story, so please review!! It makes me so happy! Uhm... be looking for the next chapter!

Okay, your favourite (or second favourite) time of the day: QUESTION TIME!!!

**What is your biggest pet peeve?**

I find it really annoying when people make self-assuring claims. For example: If someone decides to crown themselves "grammar king/queen" but they are bad at grammar, that bugs me. Or if someone thinks they're pedestal worthy, and they flaunt that, and they're wrong... that just gets to me. Okay. Silly rant over now. **YOUR TURN!!!!** Send me a review or a PM with your answer!


	13. A Confession

**A Confession**

**Author's Note: **Hey guys!! I'm so sorry for not updating in (literally) forever. But I can explain. My computer, that decrepit old thing decided that it wanted to re-think being nice to me. There was a vicious battle... and I lost miserably. In fact, the malicious thing thought it might be funny if it also ahnilated all of my to-be chapters for this story and all other stories that were in the works. Gotta LOVE this dang computer. SO... My computer crashed, taking with it the next three chapters of this story (including this chapter)... and I gotta tell you. Re-writing a chapter from scratch is harder than writing a chapter the first time. So I've been re-writing and actually re-writing this chapter in my head for weeks, and I just couldn't get it to form a chapter worth reading. But... I think I might have it now. I do need to know what you think of it, cause I just cannot go on without feedback! lol. Okay, guys. I'll stop rambling and let you get to the story.

* * *

Edward stood suddenly and started gathering random things from his room and tossing them into a pile. First a large bag, then pants: Jeans and khakis and sweats and nice pants. Bella spent a second or two wondering when Edward had acquired sweatpants, she'd never seen him wear them. It was a flurry that had Bella slightly confused. She watched silently, hoping that she would figure out what was going on. Her mind wasn't working properly. It was a human's mind, and she was having trouble keeping up with Edward. After a couple of minutes, Edward stopped running around the room and throwing random things into a bag to look at Bella.

"Do you want me to help you pack?" he asked. Bella stared at him blankly for a minute. Pack? Why are they packing? she thought.

"Bella?" Edward asked, slightly concerned.

"Yes?" Bella asked, not yet snapped out of her quiet state of confusion.

"Are you okay?" Edward said.

"Uhm... sure?" Bella said, more of a question than an answer. It was obvious to Edward that something was off kilter.

"Bella, what's going on?" he asked.

"Uhm... I dunno." Bella said honestly.

"Well, what are you thinking right now?" Edward said.

"Why are you packing?" Bella said. Every errant thought left Edward's head as he stared at the small human.

"Why... am... I... packing?" Edward repeated Bella's question. "Bella-" Edward said, but he wasn't quite sure what he should say. Bella was quiet for a moment, biting her lip in contemplation.

"Yes." Bella said, confirming Edward's question.

"Because... well, we can't leave everything here." he said, as if it were obvious. Perhaps it was. To a non-human who had a brain that was currently functioning. However, Bella did not fit into any of those catergories at the moment.

"Edward, we can't leave right now." Bella said suddenly. Edward looked at her.

"Why not?" he demanded.

"Because!" Bella sputtered. "Victoria will know! She'll catch us and then kill me and hurt you!"

"Bella, Victoria is not going to catch us." Edward said with finality.

"How do you know? We don't have a plan. We need to figure this out. Sit down, figure it out rationally, and then go about this the best way possible. The best way possible is certainly not on a whim!" Bella said. Edward sighed. "Besides, you only have one shirt in there, and six pants. You're not even thinking rationally." Bella said smugly. Edward looked at her in mild disbelief.

"Not thinking--" Edward stammered unintelligably for a moment and then stopped, a wicked smirk spreading across his face. He grinned at Bella, whose eyes widened as she watched him. Then Edward leapt at Bella, knocking her onto the large bed. They tumbled around for a few minutes, laughing and just generally having a good time together, until Bella yawned. Then Edward tucked her into his side and she drifted off to sleep.

"Let's talk." the next morning Bella woke up early enough to shake Edward awake before the sun rose.

"Okay." Edward said simply. He knew he was basically marking time here until Bella decided to leave with him.

"Okay." she said, getting up, stretching and going to the kitchen. Edward followed her like a puppy.

"Would you like a drink?" Bella asked. Edward nodded. She poured him a tall glass of water, which he downed immediately without thought.

"Thanks." he muttered.

"You're welcome." Bella said.

They sat in absolute silence for three minutes, before Edward cleared his throat as if starting to speak. He opened his mouth twice, closed it twice, and said nothing. Bella shifted her weight from foot to foot.

"Uhm..." Edward said eventually. Bella nodded. "We should talk." Bella nodded again. Neither of them made eye contact with each other. Bella was fumbling with the hem of her shirt, and Edward was very fascinated in the granite design of the countertop.

"Yes." Bella said eventually. "We should talk."

"Bella, I think that we should leave soon. As soon as possible, in fact." Edward said suddenly.

"What about Victoria?" Bella asked without any inflection.

"We'll figure that out." Edward said dismissively.

"Well, don't you think we ought to figure that out before we leave?" Bella said.

Edward opened his mouth and closed it again.

"Alright." he said.

"Victoria is dangerous." Bella stated.

"I know." Edward said.

"She's not going to want to let you go." Bella said.

"I know." Edward said again. "But I don't think that should stop us from leaving."

"Okay, but we need to figure out what we're going to be about her all the same." Bella said.

"How about this:..." Edward started. Bella listened carefully and contradicted only when Edward was being ridiculous. Then she would counter simply with a "You are being ridiculous." or "That would never work." Eventually, they figured it out, and with minimal compromise, the plan was set into motion.

* * *

"Edward, come back to bed." Victoria whined later in the day. Edward complied, bending to Victoria's insatiable whims for the next three hours. Those three hours were literally the longest, most ardentally painful hours of Edward's entire life. The only way he got through it was thinking about Bella, and their plan of escape. It was also the only thing that kept him from leaving Victoria outright.

Bella was meticulous about her cleaning. She swept the floors, dusted until every surface sparkled, set all the books in proper order, and did all the dishes. In Edward's room, Bella made the bed, stacked all his music in the corner, and straightend all the odds and ends that had gotten un-straightened over time. In her own room, she was just as orderly. Every piece of paper was put away, all the pens, pencils, and other writing instruments were placed in a drawer.

Every single item was accounted for.

Then, after such meticulous cleaning, Bella set out to dirty the rooms up a bit. Of course, just as meticulously. She started in her room. She pulled out a pen, a pencil, and a piece of paper. On the sheet of paper she wrote:

_Day Thirty-seven_

_I can't imagine he'd go back to Victoria. What a horrible being. God, what was I thinking? I can't love him. I can't have anything to do with him. Victoria was right, all I am to him is a servant. And that's all I'll ever be._

Then she placed the pen down neatly, wrote a couple of unintelligable words with the pencil, only for something to erase, and then she left the shavings on the paper where they fell.

After that was done, Bella went over to her bed, where she upended two pillows and a corner of the comforter. She laid on the bed for a few minutes, reinforcing the subtle dent that was left by her sleeping form.

In Edward's room, she did much more. She pulled books from the shelves, and scattered them around the room by standing on top of his bed and tossing them around. She also messed up his music collection. She put his favourite records, CDs, and cassettes in cases of music that he felt was okay, and left some of the okay records, CDs, and cassettes out in the open, the others were filed away in the favourite cases.

She made sure that his room looked like how he would leave it, and also how Bella would leave it instead of cleaning, like she normally did.

Once in the kitchen, Bella took two glasses of water. The first, she filled to the brim with water and drank it down, leaving her smudged fingerprints and lip marks on the glass. Then she put it upside down in the sink. The second one she filled and left for Edward.

Going back into her room, Bella grabbed six sheets of paper, two pens and a pencil and started to pack all her clothes. Then she went out to the garden to wait.

As soon as Victoria dismissed Edward, he sprinted back to his rooms. He went into his room and threw the entire contents of his middle three drawers in a bag, along with the CD, record, and cassette cases of music that he thought was okay. He ran out of the room, then, forgetting about the glass of water that was waiting for him.

Edward waited two minutes under the main archway before going to the garden. It wouldn't do for Victoria to glance out and see him there so quickly. His eyes connected with Bella's, who was standing just out of view of Victoria's room, obscured by the sunflowers that blocked her field of vision. Bella smiled lightly. Edward grinned back. This was going to work.

After two minutes that seemed to rival the length of time as the previous three hours, Edward walked casually to the sunflower crops. He dropped his large bag as soon as he got into the crop, and ran directly into Bella, pushing her bag off her shoulder and walking her further into the bed of flowers.

"What are you-" Bella started, but Edward cut her off by kissing her softly on the lips. He pulled away after only a second, the kiss didn't last long enough, and smiled at Bella.

"Hey you." he said softly.

"Hey." Bella whispered. Edward pulled Bella into another soft kiss.

"Ready?" he whispered against his lips.

"Yep." Bella whispered back. Edward chuckled, and pulled her further into the sunflower bed.

"Where are we-" Bella started, but Edward cut her off by kissing her roughly. Bella giggled again.

"Bella, I have very strong feelings for you." Edward said when he pulled away. Then he leaned in again and started kissing up the line of her neck. Bella gasped in surprise.

"Edward-?" she said, her voice cracking, popping up an entire octave from her ususal tenor. Edward didn't pause in his actions, and travelled from her neck to her earlobe, pulling it in and sucking on it. He traced the shell of her ear with his tongue.

"I love you, Isabella." Edward whispered. Bella froze. "You don't have to say anything right now, Bella. I know how human minds think. It takes longer for humans to get to the point of extreme emotional connections to other individuals... Don't worry about it, Bella. I just had to tell you. I couldn't hold onto the thought any longer. You see, fire-bloods, especially my breed of fire-bloods, we have a tendancy to extracting extreme emotions quickly, and falling in love very fast.

"I love you. I just wanted you to know how I felt." Edward stopped talking eventually. Bella remained frozen. She was looking over Edward's shoulder, her eyes unfocused, and her brows were furrowed in confusion.

After a minute, Edward shook Bella lightly.

"We should get going. It's getting dark." he said. Then he walked back to their bags, picked both of them up and slung them over respective shoulders. When he realised that Bella was not behind him, he walked calmly back to the place where he told her that he loved her, and sure enough, she was standing there, looking in the same direction she was when he left her. She still looked confused.

"I guess humans take longer to process things than I thought." Edward muttered under his breath. Then he grabbed her hand and started tugging on it, leading her out of the flower garden and into the darkening night.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Again, I'm sorry about the delay for this chapter!! I promise that all my files, from this second forward, will be saved in multiple places, and therefore will not die with my computer the next time that decrepit thing fails! Anyway, thank you so much if you stuck with this story over these recent hiatus-es-es-es... and I will find a way to make it up to you all. More chapters... perhaps extra stuff from these present chapters? I dunno... give me your ideas in a review! Okay, now the time that you have waited for... for so long! QUESTION TIME!!!

**What would you do if you could not fail?** (I love the sappy, inspirational questions. They are so cool.)

My answer: I'd be a professional writer. Of course, whether I was a novelist, a short story writer, a poet, a journalist, or a biography author... I dunno yet. I'd do it all and then some more stuff as well. I wouldn't be a playwright, though. I can't write plays. Oh well.

Write me a review or a PM with your answer! I'm curious!! (:

Until next time, (WHICH WILL BE SOONER THAN THIS CHAPTER WAS, I PROMISE!!)


	14. A Rather Difficult Obstacle

**A Rather Difficult Obstacle  
**

**Author's Note:** Told you!! Here I am! Updating! It's a modern marvel, I know. But I'll stop yammering and get to the rest of the story. If you forgot, Bella and Edward have started their running away. Ready...and...ACTION! (: Read it, it's good. lol d:

* * *

**Bella's POV**

"I love you. I just wanted you to know how I felt." Edward said quite obviously. I couldn't process what he was actually saying. I mean, I'd obviously fallen quite hard for him. I enjoyed talking to him everyday, something I didn't really enjoy with other people. His annoying mannerisms, like the way he clenched his jaw and stopped talking when he was annoyed, or how he constantly ran his fingers through his already messy hair making it messier and less manageable, didn't bother me in the least. And he had been quite nice to me. I really couldn't think of one reason why I should be alarmed, disturbed, annoyed, or even surprised in the least.

And yet...

I couldn't really place it. I didn't know how I felt about him. About him saying he loved me. About him actually loving me. I wasn't a very good candidate for his love. I was just a regular human, with an unfortunate circumstance, I wasn't special or unique. There was nothing that could hold him to me. I know he detested when I said things like that, but it's true. I have absolutely no hold on him.

He said something else, but I was far too occupied with my thoughts to make it out, then he grabbed my hand and started tugging gently. He was leading me away in the night.

That was kind of cool, I guess.

We were running away together.

Oh.

My.

GOD.

We were running away together. Edward was running away with me. I was running away. With Edward. Edward was running away. With me. We were leaving everything I had ever known, a significant amount that Edward had ever known, Victoria, James, all my memories of this place would fade, and I would be left with nothing but Edward. And I could not find anything negative about that at all.

Before we got to the main gate, everything in my mind clicked together. Edward Anthony Cullen, a pure gold fire-blooded being, was running away with me, Isabella Marie Swan, a plain, regular sort of human. Edward Anthony Cullen was running away with me because Edward Anthony Cullen loved me.

I started laughing. Quite loudly. I couldn't help myself. This was just too good. I got Edward. Somehow, some insane twist of fate had allowed me (a mere human) to have the love of Edward Cullen (a fire-blood) and I had never been more convinced that a) I didn't deserve it, b) Edward didn't agree with that, and c) I didn't really care. I got Edward. AND I got to run away with him. In the dead of night. How romantic.

However-- it's not nearly as romantic when one of the vile creatures you find yourself running away from is standing directly in front of you, and you are silly enough to run directly into him.

No, not so romantic at all.

It's actually quite painful. And very annoying. Such a buzz-kill.

"Well, well, well." James said smoothly, grasping my shoulders and steadying me from falling on my face. "What do we have here?" I flinched as his hands tightened around my upper arms. Edward growled, a warning thick in his throat. It didn't deter James, however. He just smirked lightly. If he wasn't such a horrid creature, I thought absently, he'd be quite handsome.

"James." Edward said, his voice full of hostility.

"Edward." James said, nodding in his direction. "Out for a moonlight walk with your servant, I see?" James sneered. Edward grimaced. "Huh." James let go of my right arm, only to tighten his right hand on my left arm, and stroke his chin carefully. My left arm was getting steadily more numb by the second.

"What?" Edward spat.

"I just wonder if Victoria would be pleased. How many times have you taken her on a moonlight stroll?" James said, his voice as smooth as glass. "And you know she would want to know why you are treating your servant so kindly." a hint of a threat hung in James' voice.

"There is no need to tell her." Edward said swiftly. "We're just going inside, so if you'll excuse us--"

"Planning on a picnic first?" James said, his eyes narrowed on the bag over Edward's shoulder. There was a moment of tense silence, where Edward and James must have communicated silently, because James' face turned suddenly, and started glowing in victory. At the exact moment, Edward pounced, a growl ripping from his throat.

Not a half second passed before I heard quite clearly an audible snap. Looking for the source of the sound, I saw James' left hand wrapped around my leg. And then the pain hit.

And did it hurt. I couldn't tell what was wrong with my leg, but I couldn't move it without feeling a pain of the most acute kind. It was hanging at a funny angle, like I had two knees instead of only one. I fell down instantly, and grasped above the new knee, wrapping my hands around my leg as if to block the pain from reaching my brain, so it would remain unprocessed. My vision was blurry, but I could see quite clearly the action occurring right before my eyes.

James lost his left arm very quickly. Edward had simply taken hold of his torso with one hand and James' arm with the other, and then tugged effortlessly. Blood spurted out of James' shoulder, and landed on me. It was significantly gross.

James countered with a swift kick aimed at Edward's mouth. I wasn't completely positive, but I thought I might have seen a tooth fly out of his mouth along with the blood that was drooling down his face.

The growling alone would have been enough to wake up every single creature that had ever existed in a ten-mile radius, but the growling paired with the screams (both mine and James') it was difficult to believe that either Edward or I had a chance of leaving this hell.

I could see in the distance the house lights flicker on. I called to Edward to get his attention. He looked up, saw the lights and snapped into action. James' head was on the ground in a second, along with his extraneous limbs and defiled torso. I was in Edward's arms a second later. He cradled me carefully, watching my leg. I thanked him silently and wrapped my arms around his neck. People were yelling and running across the yard, their lamps swinging from their outstretched arms as they aimed to see the scene that lay before us. I shivered.

Edward pulled me closer, and with one last glance at James' mangled body, he sprinted directly for the exit.

**(A/N: I'm just curious what would happen if I stopped here as far as the Edward/Bella story goes. Who would hate me?? lol. Well, I have to admit that we must return to Renee and Christopher and Charlie. There's got to be something up there. Last time we were with them, Renee admitted that 1) Christopher doesn't know how to do math, and 2) Christopher the non-math whiz is not the daddy of her baby. So let's see what's going on at the Barrie household, shall we?)**

As far as Renee was concerned, lunch was no longer going to happen. It was obvious that Janice wanted her head on a platter, and she assumed that both Christopher and Robert would feel quite the same way. So, she walked quickly out of the room and into the vast yard behind the house. There she hid in the playhouse that Robert had built when she and Christopher were in third grade. She sat down on the floor, crossed legged and rested her head in her hands and promptly started to cry.

How could she deceive Christopher like that? She loved him, dearly. He was her husband. Yes, she rushed it-- seduced him and then tricked him into thinking it was his child. She took advantage of the fact that he trusted her completely, and she should burn in hell for doing such a thing.

After ten minutes of crying her eyes out, Renee felt a draft. She didn't bother to look up, she wasn't concerned about anything anymore, not herself, the baby, Christopher, Charlie... damn, she should probably tell Charlie that he was going to be a father. He would certainly be happy. He loved kids.

Quiet footsteps crossed the floor, stopping when they were right in front of her. Then she felt a warm figure bend like a pretzel, sitting down in front of her. Between broken sobs, Renee peeked through her hands. Not because she cared, she was just curious.

Christopher was looking at her the way that only Christopher had mastered. His head was tilted to one side, and his eyes were narrow, like he was making his line of sight smaller so it could squeeze through Renee's eyes and all the barriers she put up, like he was looking directly into her soul. The only difference between the way he looked at her when he was announcing his love for her and now was that his facial expression was calculating, not endearing.

It was scary. He had never looked at her like she was a Rubik's Cube.

Christopher took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. It seemed like he was preparing himself for battle. Like he was coming to terms with the fact that he might not make it to the other side.

"When you and I--" he cut off. "Did you know then?" he whispered.

Renee didn't really want to answer that. So she kept crying and pretended like she didn't hear the question.

"Renee." Christopher said slowly, testing each syllable on his tongue, "Did you know that you were pregnant when I..." he coughed, took a deep breath again and let it out with the air of someone positive they weren't going to survive much longer. As if he were speaking his last words, and he wanted to make sure they were good enough to last forever. "when I made love to you the first time?" he whispered.

Renee continued to cry, shaking a little each time a tear dripped down her face, but she decided that she might want to look at Christopher. That perhaps his face would be different than his voice. Maybe better.

It wasn't.

Christopher's eyes were saturated. He wasn't crying, but the floodgates seemed to be strained. They were bloodshot, like he had been rubbing his thumb and forefinger across them while they were open. There were small scratches running down the length of his throat. Christopher only took to rubbing his throat as if it were on fire when he was truly upset about something. His lips were a hard line, and his jaw was clenched tighter than Renee had ever seen it in her entire life.

She felt a sob escape her lips just by looking at him. She felt so very torn. She didn't want to hurt him anymore, he had obviously been through enough pain and it was her fault, telling him the truth would only confirm his pain and magnify it soundly. But lying felt so wrong. So she kept her best poker face, and avoided his eye contact. She didn't say anything, simply sat there limply. She had stopped crying at this point. It was if she no longer existed outside of herself.

"I need to know, Renee." Christopher said, his tone hard.

After a most painful pause, Renee nodded slowly. She felt Christopher's heart start pounding, and she knew that nothing could save him from her and the pain she had caused.

"So tell me, Renee, do you actually love me or was I just some tool so you could stay safe?" Christopher's voice was scornful, and though she deserved it, Renee felt a pang of self pity. Christopher stood and turned to leave the playhouse when Renee didn't answer immediately.

"I guess I know." he spat under his voice. Turning on his heel, he wrenched open the door and walked quite firmly in the direction of the main house. Renee spent half a second pondering his statement, and though in the beginning he had only been a dear tool... she loved him now. That had to count for something, right?

"Chris!" Renee shouted, standing quickly and running as quickly as she could across the lawn after him. "Wait, please!" There was a stutter in his step, and he slowed only slightly. Renee doubled her efforts to reach him before he got back into the house.

"Christopher!" she shouted again, sprinting fully to catch up to him. "For the love of God, would you please slow down?" she spat at him, running out of breath quickly. He stopped and turned around.

"What, Renee? What else could you possibly have to say to me?" he said, anger flaring in his eyes and colouring his cheeks.

"I love you, damn it!" Renee shouted back at him. She could feel her own temper rising.

Christopher blanched, but only for a second. Then he strode back to her and stood an inch away.

"You love me?" he whispered. "What the hell makes you think that you even deserve to love me anymore, Renee? You used me."

"I'm sorry." Renee said. Christopher backed up suddenly, the space between their bodies quickly filled with everything that Renee could have done to keep him. Those things seemed to push him back away from her even further.

"That's not good enough." Christopher said, turning again and walking back to the house.

**(A/N: Worth the pause with Bella and Edward? I hope so. I'm sorry for cutting it off at such a place... but let's get back to them now, shall we?)**

"Edward," I said through clenched teeth, "my leg..." I held in my scream from the spasm of pain. I could hear the shouts of the fire-bloods still on the grounds. The shock and fear that was rising potently through the air made it obvious that they had reached James' body. "Edward," I said urgently, "they're catching up!" I couldn't hold back the squeal of fear as I thought of what would happen to me, and more terribly, Edward, when they caught up to us.

He deliberated for only a second, pausing slightly in his sprint away, and then stopped entirely.

"Edward?" I asked, confused at the lack of running away, which seemed to me to be rather important at this point. Extremely necessary.

"I need you to trust me, Bella." he said. Then he set me down. I hobbled on my good leg, trying to keep the other from touching anything, so it wouldn't be inclined to move at all. Edward quickly grabbed both of my arms and wrapped them tightly around his neck. Then he pushed his mouth against mine feverishly. I assume a great amount of confusing might have passed through my mind, a mild nagging of 'why is he kissing me right now?' would have perhaps run through my thoughts, had they not been completely overrun with the thought of Edward at that instant.

If there is ever a doubt in the world, it should not be whether or not Edward Anthony Cullen knows how to kiss. His lips moved against mine smoothly, and then slid quite smoothly down my throat. My hands, already around his neck, fisted quite tightly in his hair, and I had the sudden urge to jump up and wrap my legs around his waist. As if he anticipated my desire, Edward lifted me by my thighs and wrapped my legs firmly around his torso. His lips returned to mine and I felt somewhere in the crevices of my mind, a small annoyance. I focused on it for half a second, and the acute pain of my broken leg returned to me.

I whimpered.

"I'm sorry, Bella. We have to travel very, very quickly. I can't do that if you're not... quite close." He kissed me again, as if he were trying to kiss the pain away. It worked marginally. I felt significantly better.

Edward's lips felt like fire, I didn't know if it was him or me, but either way, I'm not entirely sure I minded. And then, my entire body felt like it was on fire. I opened my eyes slightly, and what I saw was rather scary. I was engulfed in flames.

"Oh my God!" I screamed. "What is happening?" Edward was just as covered in the flickering lights, and I felt lightheaded just thinking about what could possibly come out of this.

And then, just as suddenly, the burning stopped. And I was looking at a rather pleasant face.

**End Author's Note:** Now I have to make sure you keep reading!! Don't hate me for stopping there. I just wonder if you know who the face is. Send me a review with a guess, I'll love you forever! I've been thinking... I think I'm getting a little greedy, and I'd like some more reviews (greedy greedy)... I dunno if I really have rights even proposing this, but since you know the story is done and I will be updating... I'm thinking that maybe I should offer a quicker update with the more reviews I get. Like, I'll update next week probably, and sooner if I do get some... perhaps. It's just a thought. I'll think on it, but just in case, you might want to go ahead and send me a review if I decide to do something like that. It wouldn't hurt!! (: I know, I have a question time... so, in honour of graduation (I graduated! lol)

**What are your plans for the summer?**

Mine are so unique, btw. Work. I need money for college. (: Tell me what you plan on doing this summer in a review or a PM!! (:

Until next time,

BrokenTopaz


	15. Author's Note

SORRY GUYS.

I'm going to have to put this story on hold (again, UGH!). I'm sorry guys. Really. But I'm not going to be on fanfiction for awhile, so I can't type up the rest of the story and upload it. My best friend is in surgery, and my boyfriend is really sick. Like, really sick.

I'm sorry. But I'll be back as soon as my beau is better and my friend is out of the hospital.

I love you all.

BrokenTopaz


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